Difference between revisions of "Staren"

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m (→‎Abstractum: Added purchases 8/9/22AU)
m (Fixed rank to hopefully show up properly as a Concord member)
 
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|FullName=Staren
 
|FullName=Staren
 
|Gender=Male
 
|Gender=Male
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|Species=Catboy (Human/D-Bee Hybrid)
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|Species=Catboy (Human/Shapeshifter Hybrid)
 
|Theme=RIFTS-1
 
|Theme=RIFTS-1
 
|Chartype=OC
 
|Chartype=OC
 
|Function=SCIENCE!, Mecha Piloting
 
|Function=SCIENCE!, Mecha Piloting
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|Faction=Union
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|Faction=Concord
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|Rank=A-Ally
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|Rank=4-2 Gifted
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|Ranktype=Ally
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|Ranktype=Member
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|Groups=Users.net, Session 613, Syndicate Network, Gatecrashers Union, Thousand Dreams, M.E.T.A.L, Wings of Nemesis (Disbanded)
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|Groups=Daedalus Initiative, Gatecrashers Union, Die Reisende
 
|Quote="How does THAT work? I wonder if I can study it…"
 
|Quote="How does THAT work? I wonder if I can study it…"
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|PAge=Early 20s
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|PAge=Mid 20s
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|AAge=23
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|AAge=25
 
|Aging=Yes
 
|Aging=Yes
 
|Height=5'8" / 173cm
 
|Height=5'8" / 173cm
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|Eyes=Blue
 
|Eyes=Blue
 
|Voice=
 
|Voice=
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|Song=
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|Song=Plum Creek Rhythm Section - A Light, an Answer[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRew-b78ZFg]
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|Profile=Staren is a young superprodigy from the magitech City of Lazlo, with the advanced computer and robotics knowledge of an expert decades his senior. Believing any problem can be overcome with science, the young man dreams of a better future for all. Armed with tools of magic and technology (including mecha) to fight, he was once one of the Union's elite and proud mecha pilots — until one of his friends went crazy and had to be killed for becoming a threat to the Multiverse. After that he left the front lines for a quieter, less combative life. He has a compassionate heart and likes to help those in need, but his eagerness to fight for good has been dulled over the years. Once naive about the world due to only learning from books, he's seen the great wonders and horrors and _weirdness_ of the Multiverse and become somewhat jaded, though he is still as anxious as ever to learn how it all works. His social naivete has led to no longer caring what most people think of him — the few who take the time to understand him are those he calls friends, and to them he is intensely loyal — he would move the Multiverse itself for them if he could find a way.
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|Profile=Staren is a prodigy engineer and pilot from the magitech city of Lazlo. He has the advanced computer and robotics knowledge of an expert decades his senior, and has now branched out into studying multiversal phenomena. Believing any problem can be overcome with sufficient application of knowledge and ingenuity, the young man dreams of a better future for all. Armed with tools of magic and technology to fight, he has survived over a decade in the Multiverse through care and preparedness belied by a tendency to speak before he thinks. Once naive about the world due to only learning from books, he's now seen the great wonders and horrors and /weirdness/ of the Multiverse and become somewhat jaded, though he is still anxious as ever to learn how it all works. However, the nuances of social interaction remain more mysterious to him than those of physics or magic, and this makes it difficult for him to form close bonds. To help his friends, though, he would move the Multiverse itself if he could find a way -- and his willingness to consider such extreme actions is one of the very things that tends to push others away. In the wake of the Union and Confederacy's fall, Staren is hopeful that there is plenty of good he can do in the Multiverse other than endless fighting...
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|Powers=MAGIC: Staren has relatively small energy reserves, and cannot cast spells directly, but he can brew potions and animate golems with enough time or a source of magical energy. His potions can heal, summon minor spirits and creatures, grant abilities like flight or nightvision, or induce other straightforward effects like transformations. Magic crystals allow him to elementally align energy weapons and forcefields. Areas flooded with mystic power can supplement his own reserves to allow brewing more potions or more quickly animating simplistic golems, these being made from random materials or provided 'bodies,' even robotic ones. (Magic effects that change others require consent as applicable.)
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|Powers=CYBERNETICS: Staren's body is improved by various cybernetics, including an advanced visual HUD, sensory enhancements, cyberjack (see assets), thought-controlled tool wristbands, and data storage designed to record and retain his every interaction. The computer components wired into his brain also store a vast library of useful programs useful for his day-to-day operations. All have been modified and enchanted to work alongside his shapeshifting.
  
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MINOR SHAPESHIFTER: Staren inherited some of his mother's shapeshifting. He has three forms - His normal cat-boy form, a human girl resembling his mother, and a housecat. He can change his hair and fur color but seldom bothers.
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MAGIC: Staren's cybernetics prevent his drawing on any external magic sources such as ley lines, but he still possesses enough minor, innate power to grant him a basic understanding of how magic functions in his world and beyond. He can recognize magic at work, even if he can't replicate it himself. His personal magical ability manifests primarily in his unique shapeshifting, and in the crystals he utilizes to elementally-align his personal forcefields and energy weapons (see assets).
  
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NANOTECHNOLOGY: Staren has adapted advanced nanotechnology from another world to his use. Most importantly, this technology includes machines that can make objects, heal, upload his mind into a machine, and a nearly indestructible cybernetic implant that maintains a realtime snapshot of Staren's brain. If he dies, it can be surgically removed and used to restore his mind — although if his body is not recovered and healed, he will have to download into another one. He regularly stores copies of the snapshot elsewhere, so that he can be restored from backup if the stack is lost.
+
DATAMANCY: Magic and technology are two very different forces in Staren's world, but he's found some ways of marrying the two disciplines. He can't cast spells, but he can design some programs allowing technological control of magical creations. This is how he remote controls his golems.
  
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DIVINE INSPIRATION: Staren's longtime best friend is a god of madness and inspiration. While he refuses to accord deities any more trust than mortals, his faith and trust in his best friends is absolute. Prayers to Morg can be answered by inspiration, pushing Staren into a fugue state in which he designs and builds devices that defy even his own scientific understanding. These devices are not completely reliable, although he can build more copies from one blueprint. Staren cannot receive inspiration when cut off from divine influence.
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MINOR SHAPESHIFTER: Staren inherited some of his mother's talent for shapeshifting. He has three forms -- his normal cat-boy form, a human girl resembling his mother, and a housecat. He can change his hair and fur color, but seldom bothers. Oddly, his cybernetics do not interfere with this gift.
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|Skills=TECHNOLOGICAL GENIUS: Staren has vast scientific and engineering knowledge, and absorbs new information like a sponge - if it can be done with just knowledge and/or practice, chances are he can learn it, especially if he already understands similar things. Upon comprehending this knowledge, he usually puts it to use quite easily. He is an excellent hacker/programmer capable of creating basic AIs, commanding multiple robotic drones, and repairing or reverse-engineering devices as needed. His cyberjack allows him to quickly interface with computers, he can access iconic cyberspace using a remote controlled cyberdrone with limited ability to act independently, and maintains a versatile library of useful other programs.
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|Assets=EQUIPMENT: Staren has a wide variety of gear and devices. See +info Staren/Equipment. He can also command an army of golems or acid-spitting spider automatons (PL 26-28.)
+
  
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MECHA: Staren's 52-foot tall S-5 "Star Hawk" Mark W is armed with a variety of weaponry, including repair drones, and can shift between plane, humanoid, and hybrid modes. Though it's his best, he sometimes fields smaller designs too, including various power armors, each for different situations. If he needs one in the field, small ones can be teleported, while larger ones must fly via autopilot.
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NANOTECHNOLOGY: Staren has adapted advanced nanotechnology from other worlds to his own purposes. His machines can create objects, speed healing of minor injuries, and flush out mundane poisons and illnesses. They're also responsible for the maintenance and function of his Cortical Stack, and for improving his overall physicality to peak levels. Fabrication -- a process that may take days to complete -- requires compatible blueprints, raw materials, and is limited to producing nothing larger than the average desk. Fabricated components up to this size may be assembled into larger finished products, such as mecha. (See related +flaws.)
  
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LABORATORY: Staren's laboratory is a huge facility below his house near Lazlo stocked with supplies and technological wonders. The laboratory (and house) is protected by laser and forcedome defenses. He also has a small lab under a leyline for magical research, and a workshop in Lazlo.
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DIVINE INSPIRATION: Staren's long-time best friend, Morg McGee, is a minor deity of madness and inspiration. While Staren typically refuses to accord deities any more respect than mortals, for some reason his faith in his friendship with Morg has given him a certain mental fortitude and flexibility he might not otherwise possess, enabling him to pursue solutions -- often bizarre or extreme -- in the face of even the most hopeless odds.
 +
|Skills=TECHNOLOGICAL GENIUS: Staren has vast scientific and engineering knowledge, and absorbs new information like a sponge. He's adept at applying known practices to new situations, leading to swifter learning, mastery, and application of various unfamiliar technological subjects and skills. He's an excellent hacker, programmer, and engineer, capable of creating the kinds of basic AIs that operate his drones and mecha (see NPCs). He can repair and reverse engineer foreign technology if there is an existing base of familiarity, such as a teleporter similar in design to the type he uses. Magic remains a difficult subject for him, but he is confident in handling technology enhanced by magical properties and power sources, and has successfully applied his methodology for technology to the creation of his golems and potions, and to the learning of skill-based magics like potioncraft. (Consent may be required for reverse engineering.)
  
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TELEPORTER: (Consent required) One of Staren's devices. Max range is 1000km. Indoor/underground/void travel requires exact coordinates as safeties prevent materializing too high or overlapping an object. These teleporters can handle light additional loads — equipment or a few people. The lab's own teleporter can send large devices or a group of people 100x as far, one-way.
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POTIONCRAFT: Basic alchemical formulas can equip Staren to mimic magical effects. Given a few days and the right ingredients, he can brew draughts equivalent to basic spells. (See +info Staren/Potions for details.)
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|NPCs=ABSTRACTUM: Staren has an Abstractum named Eureka, who empowers him with a variety of concept-level abilities to enhance his scientific efforts. See the character Abstractum.Net for further information.
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|Disadvantages=VOLATILE OPINIONS: Staren steadfastly believes in a number of ideas and ethical systems (for instance: transhumanism, consequentialism, conquering death, understanding everything through experiment and knowledge) that can easily get other people agitated, and sometimes can't or won't hold his tongue when relevant situations come up, or when baited into it. This can cause moral divides between himself and others, allowing enemies or crises to isolate him from his allies. (Not to be played via public radio channels.)
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SOCIALLY AWKWARD: Staren has difficulty reading and predicting other people's feelings and picking up on social cues, making him come across as kind of thickheaded (although he hates being called anything that implies he's stupid.) He's mortified whenever he accidentally hurts a friend's feelings. He also gets easily carried away when seeking understanding of how people, things, or worlds work.
+
GOLEMANCY: Staren has learned how to enchant basic, purpose-driven golems from any material approximating the desired mass and shape. The tutelage was acquired outside his world, and part of his teachings included figuring out how to work within the limits his cybernetics impose. Animation and enchantments may be cast on the fly from prepared sources such as scrolls and stones. (See +info Staren/Golemancy and NPCs for details.)
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|Assets=POWER ARMOR: Staren's personal suit of armor grants tireless strength, enhanced endurance, and the use of heavy weapons such as his Mad Morg McGee .44 Annihilator (see Equipment). The suit can take extreme punishment before it fails, thanks mostly to its enhanced personal forcefields, and remains useful underwater, in low gravity, and in vacuum. Forcefields can sustain only a few hits before collapsing and needing to recharge. (PL 30)
  
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GIVE FRIENDSHIP A CHANCE: After seeing one of his best friends offer a chance at friendship to the monster threatening her world, Staren feels he has to try to live up to that example. He will try to talk foes into redemption, especially before killing them, and one day this hesitation may cost him. While he is skeptical that this will ever work, he truly believes that if it did it would lead to a brighter future for all involved. Does not apply if Staren thinks his opponent is completely incapable of understanding friendship, ie: unintelligent monsters, fair folk, rampant AIs, truly alien aliens, or eldritch abominations.
+
CRYSTALS: Magic-powered crystals embedded in his Power Armor and mecha enable Staren to align his forcefields and beam weapons to particular elements like fire or ice. Doing this is neither instantaneous nor reactive, requiring a conscious action on his part. (Functions as +armor swaps.)
  
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BITTER AND JADED BEFORE AGE TWENTY, BUT GETTING BETTER: Staren's social problems and his controversial philosophical views used to regularly upset people, with regular miscommunications resulting in a feeling of never fitting in with the Union. For years he was given the impression that they saw him as annoying and dangerous despite his desire to help people, so he distrusted them and in time lost his enthusiasm for fighting evil at the Union's side. In AU20 he was drawn out of his shell by the crises in Equestria, Earth-1960, and Sword Art Online to fight for good again, and then he learned he had the Union wrong all that time. Now he's eager to help them once more, but old habits die hard and sometimes Staren can still be a bit paranoid or distrustful, and he still does not believe the war will ever be ended by the superfactions' day-to-day battles.
+
CYBERJACK: This dataport on the back of Staren's neck enables on-the-fly connection to many types of computer interfaces, wireless or otherwise. Data networks, databases, and other computer systems may be interacted with in full as if he was seated at a terminal. Security measures may foil his access. The cyberjack aids in remote control of his mecha, automatons, and drones (see NPCs), and can project his consciousness into cyberspace when the technology is accessible. It also functions as his radio.
  
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S.D.C. CREATURE: Staren may be a partially-magical shapeshifter, but he is not supernaturally tough. He hides behind mecha, armor, and forcefields because he is _squishy_. His aura may save him from death, but he can't be thrown through a wall unprotected without needing a stay in the medbay. If he were ever rendered defenseless, he could be easily killed (but see +info Staren/death.) This does not apply when he transfers himself into a robot body.
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CORTICAL STACK: A nigh-indestructible cybernetic implant that maintains a real-time snapshot of Staren's brain. If he dies, it can be surgically removed from his remains, and used to restore his mind inside a new body. Copies of his current snapshot are taken on a nightly basis in case he needs to restore from back-up (see flaws). Though this technology may inexplicably fail, so far it's been very reliable.
  
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INTERNET ADDICTION: Staren's had cyberware in his head from a young age. He's always connected to his lab, to the radio, and to the multiversal internet. Losing this connection can be incredibly disorienting — and should his cyberware stop functioning, even moreso. Especially if he has to wait without being able to surf the web or play videogames in his head. Lessened when he has something else to distract him that doesn't involve needing to look things up.
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LABORATORY: Staren's lab is a huge underground facility located beneath his house in the city of Lazlo. It's stocked with most of the common supplies and resources he needs to fuel his various projects, and supports research as well as engineering. The lab is protected with laser and forcedome defenses. He has a separate smaller workshop in Lazlo, and another dedicated to magical research.
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}}
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==Abstractum==
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BODY DUPLICATES: Staren has several duplicates of his body stored in his laboratory in case his current body is destroyed. These may become conscious if loaded with the data stored in his Cortical Stack. Only one body may be operational at a time; the rest are kept suspended. An additional robotic body is available if needed (see +info Staren/Equipment).
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Scan data, as of 07/06/AU22:
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'''NAME:''' Eureka<br>
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TELEPORTER: One of Staren's personal devices, this teleporter requires exact coordinates and a few uninterrupted seconds to reach any destination up to 1000km away. Safeties prevent materializing into dangerous falls or into objects. May carry light loads of equipment or two or three additional people. His lab contains a one-way teleporter for more significant loads needing to travel distances up to 100x as far. (Consent may be required.)
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'''FORM:''' Gauntlet<br>
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'''SHIFT:''' 0/?<br>
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'''GATE CAPACITY:''' 6 Cartridges<br>
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'''CHROMARCHETYPE:''' BLUE<br>
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'''ARCHETYPE:''' None<br>
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'''PRECURSOR:''' The Sunless #####, She Who ## ### and #### ###### ##<br>
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'''PERSONALITY:''' Polite, intelligent, easily drawn into enthusiasm for science and tends to mirror and amplify User excitement. Prioritizes progress and learning almost as much as User happiness and safety.<br>
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'''SHADOW:''' Unknown<br>
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'''DRIVERS'''<br>
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*Strike: 1<br>
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*Barrier: 1<br>
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*Sci: 2<br>
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'''PRIME RESONANCE:''' Rotation Drive<br>
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{| class="toccolours" style="width:100%;" cellspacing="2"
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STAR HAWK: Staren's primary personal mech is the 52-foot-tall S-5 "Star Hawk" Mark W. Equipped with various armaments -- including missiles, beam weapons, and forcefields -- it has additional facility in combat thanks to its free shifting between plane, humanoid, and hybrid modes. May be teleported from the lab or called to Staren's location via remote activation. Though the Star Hawk requires Staren to pilot it in combat, smaller and simpler mecha can be remote-controlled (see NPCs). (PL 32)
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|-
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! style="width: 25%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; text-align:left; background-color:#FF3333; font-size:115%;" | '''Purchases'''
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EQUIPMENT AND OTHER GEAR: Staren's acquired a large collection of on-world and Multiversal equipment and gadgetry useful in combat and beyond. See +info Staren/Equipment for details.
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! style="width: 25%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; text-align:left; background-color:#FF3333; font-size:115%;" | '''Cartridges Given'''
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|NPCs=ABSTRACTUM: Staren has an Abstractum named Eureka who empowers him with a variety of concept-level abilities to enhance his scientific efforts. See the character Abstractum.Net for details.
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! style="width: 25%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; text-align:left; background-color:#FF3333; font-size:115%;" | '''Cartridges Received'''
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! style="width: 25%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; text-align:left; background-color:#FF3333; font-size:115%;" | '''Combos'''
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GOLEMS: Purpose-driven creations animated through magical ritual, Staren's golems are basic in design, and possessing of varied intelligence. Size and appearance may range from "average humanoid" to "towering centipede monster." Golems can be enhanced with simple weapons, natural weapons (like claws), AI-controlled turrets, AI-controlled forcefield projectors, or sensory equipment. They do not operate in regions lacking ambient magic. (See Golemancy and +info for more details. PL up to 28.)
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|-
+
 
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! style="width: 25%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |
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MECHA: Mecha smaller and simpler than the Star Hawk may be remote-controlled as support units on any field. These are equipped with missiles, beam weapons, and minor forcefields, and may transform into humanoid, plane, or hybrid mode. Only a few may be remote-controlled by Staren at any time, and if he's distracted, AI takes over that isn't nearly as responsive and flexible as something under direct control; "go here and shoot that" is only effective to a point. In an emergency, these can be teleported from his lab if his location is in range. (Up to PL 30.)
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*4x Tier I Boost Catridges (4 blue)
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*1x Tier II Boost Catridges (4 blue)
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DRONES: Minor robotic creations programmed to fulfill a variety of basic functions. The most common are hovering camera drones deployed to provide additional situational awareness, or to scout new areas. These can interface with Staren's visual HUD to share their data. Other drone types include insect-sized recon drones, housekeepers, personal assistants, and repair drones capable of making basic repairs. These are never weaponized for a fight, though camera drones do have their advantages in combat. (No PL.)
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! style="width: 25%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |
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*Sakura (Tier I)
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AUTOMATONS: Spider-like by design, these acid-spitting mechanical automatons make up the majority of Staren's self-defense forces. Most keep to his lab in order to protect its contents, but multiple units can be deployed by the lab's teleporter to in-range locations so as to provide combat support in the field. Their AI is simple and coded mostly for recognizing friend from foe. (PL 24 - 26)
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! style="width: 25%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |
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|Disadvantages=SOCIALLY AWKWARD: Staren has difficulty picking up on social cues and the feelings of others. He doesn't always recognize when a given social interaction is escalating into conflict. His tendency to ask too many questions can be irritating. These traits together make it very hard for him to establish lasting friendships, and for his allies to trust him with certain responsibilities. Past miscommunications and arguments have made it equally hard for Staren to be open and honest around his allies in turn.
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*Sakura (Tier I & II)
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! style="width: 25%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |
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PRINCIPLED: In addition to his overall awkwardness, Staren possesses staunch principles regarding transhumanism, death, and the need to discover the science behind every Multiversal phenomenon he encounters. These core beliefs may distract him from more important objectives, or lead him on time-wasting tangents that others find hard to follow.
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|}
+
 
 +
SKEPTIC: Though he once believed in the general goodness of others, Staren has become a harsh skeptic. He's learned that it's not easy to redeem villains, and that he's rarely suited to the task; swift action is often the better solution compared to diplomacy. He's still capable of compassion, but he needs to be reminded of its importance by those who are closest to him. His skepticism also manifests as what others may perceive as an insulting disdain for religions, religious figures, and the capabilities of deities.
 +
 
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S.D.C. CREATURE: Caught outside his Power Armor or mecha, Staren is pretty average. He possesses no special traits that would improve his survival in a fight, aside from his nanotechnology and various equipment -- but that doesn't offer much! In other words, he's an easy, squishy target for his enemies. (PL 22 outside Power Armor/Star Hawk/Robot Body.)
 +
 
 +
ELUDES DEATH, BUT...: Staren is protected from an absolute death thanks to his Cortical Stack, but if his chip can't be recovered by his allies from the site of his demise, he'll have to recover from his nightly back-up instead, leading to the loss of any data, experiences, and memories accrued between the time of back-up and the time of death. Awakening in a new body can risk psychological trauma, too, and imparts several mental and physical penalties that usually wear off within a few days -- if he can awaken at all. There may come a time when his solution to mortality just...fails.
 +
 
 +
NANOTECHNOLOGY FLAWS: Nanotechnology is not compatible with all aspects of the Multiverse. It may have difficulty working with exotic materials, may be unable to fabricate certain objects even with blueprints, and healing vats and the like (see Equipment) may be unable to help someone, depending on their physiology. Nanotechnology is also susceptible to electronic interference, hacking, and other forms of outside technological manipulation.}}
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
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The Multiverse was a world of possibility, full of potential friends, something the lonely boy had been without all his life.
 
The Multiverse was a world of possibility, full of potential friends, something the lonely boy had been without all his life.
  
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That changed with the death of his commander, Julian. The idea of reviving his fellow hero stuck in his mind, although the Union ordered him not to. He began to have recurring nightmares where he attempted to revive his commander (with Morg's help, of course), only to be declared a criminal by the Union. Always waking up feeling sick after being hunted down, just before being killed by his supposed 'allies'. It was just a dream, but it made him more than a bit paranoid. And he'd /seen/ how well discussing such things had gone — The dream rang true, talking about this issue with the Union would surely have them condemn him for even /thinking/ such thoughts. Julian turning out to still be alive was a good thing, but no comfort on this matter.
+
That changed with the death of his commander, Julian. The idea of reviving his fellow hero stuck in his mind, although the Union ordered him not to. He and Morg tried to communicate with Julian's spirit, as they believed only Julian himself should have final say over his own resurrection. Their fellow elites treated this as some sort of disgrace to Julian's memory, even while they themselves rejoiced at random static as some sort of communication from the dead. This behavior would drive a wedge between Staren and the Union that would shake his trust in the Union for years. Julian turning out to still be alive was a good thing, but no comfort on this matter.
  
 
Further misunderstanding worsened the rift between Staren and the Union, proving his fears justified again and again. In an attempt to be better understood and be helpful, he often spoke his train of thought out loud — thoughts and ideas that others, perhaps, thought his mention indicated serious intention to pursue them. Every misunderstanding reinforced the idea that the Union mistrusted his ways of thinking, and that it was only a matter of time before he crossed a line and was declared an outlaw. He sought to prove himself useful, but any praise and acceptance he recieved was not as loud as the voices condemning him.
 
Further misunderstanding worsened the rift between Staren and the Union, proving his fears justified again and again. In an attempt to be better understood and be helpful, he often spoke his train of thought out loud — thoughts and ideas that others, perhaps, thought his mention indicated serious intention to pursue them. Every misunderstanding reinforced the idea that the Union mistrusted his ways of thinking, and that it was only a matter of time before he crossed a line and was declared an outlaw. He sought to prove himself useful, but any praise and acceptance he recieved was not as loud as the voices condemning him.
Line 124: Line 114:
 
Staren could not help friends. He could not help one of his /best/ friends. The war was endless and meaningless, and as far as Staren knew his 'allies' could turn on him at any moment. Not even bothering to officially resign, Staren alternated between spending time in Lazlo and exploring the far reaches of the local Sector.
 
Staren could not help friends. He could not help one of his /best/ friends. The war was endless and meaningless, and as far as Staren knew his 'allies' could turn on him at any moment. Not even bothering to officially resign, Staren alternated between spending time in Lazlo and exploring the far reaches of the local Sector.
  
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Occasionally, Staren still listened to the Multiversal radio frequencies. They were sometimes entertaining, but sooner or later he was always reminded of the Union's attitude toward him. He found some understanding, at least, in the Dreamers. Friendly Dreamers were willing to listen and offer help, although none could turn Staren's situation around. Untamed Breeze heard him out and came to understand what he meant with his strangely-worded philosophies and ideas, at least.
+
Occasionally, Staren still listened to the Multiversal radio frequencies. They were sometimes entertaining, but sooner or later he was always reminded of the Union's attitude toward him. He found some understanding, at least, in the Thousand Dreamers. Friendly Dreamers were willing to listen and offer help, although none could turn Staren's situation around. Untamed Breeze heard him out and came to understand what he meant with his strangely-worded philosophies and ideas, at least.
  
 
In late AU19, Staren heard a voice on the radio that not only was not angered at his manner of speech and thought, but seemed to intuitively grasp what he was saying without reading for messages that weren't there, and who spoke honestly and frankly to him in turn. This was the voice of Twilight Sparkle, and seeking another friend that could actually understand him, who he didn't have to worry about accidentally offending or misunderstanding, Staren made increasingly frequent visits to Equestria. Friendly Dreamer Mortimer Balman had retired there, so Twilight wasn't the only friendly face.
 
In late AU19, Staren heard a voice on the radio that not only was not angered at his manner of speech and thought, but seemed to intuitively grasp what he was saying without reading for messages that weren't there, and who spoke honestly and frankly to him in turn. This was the voice of Twilight Sparkle, and seeking another friend that could actually understand him, who he didn't have to worry about accidentally offending or misunderstanding, Staren made increasingly frequent visits to Equestria. Friendly Dreamer Mortimer Balman had retired there, so Twilight wasn't the only friendly face.
  
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In fact, almost all of the ponies of Ponyville seemed friendly. Staren had become an asocial shut-in in his own world — his mechanical and piloting skill were valued, but he earned few friends. And now, Staren was at last learning to avoid hot-button topics when talking to people. Combined with the Ponyvillians' naturally helpful and friendly disposition, the net effect was that the ponies were the first large group of people Staren met without pissing them off. This far outweighed the inconvenience of hooves and the low technology level, and Staren wanted to fit in and, somehow, to return this kindness to the first place he seriously considered retiring to.
+
In fact, almost all of the ponies of Ponyville seemed friendly. Staren had become an asocial shut-in in his own world — his mechanical and piloting skill were valued, but he earned few friends. And now, Staren was at last learning to avoid hot-button topics when talking to people. Combined with the Ponyvillians' naturally helpful and friendly disposition, the net effect was that the ponies were the first large group of people Staren met without pissing them off. This far outweighed the inconvenience of hooves and the low technology level, and Staren wanted to fit in and, somehow, to return this kindness to the first place that so warmly welcomed him.
  
−
He got his chance when Discord, incarnation of chaos, turned Equestria upside down (sometimes literally). His talents were ill-suited to sealing seemingly-invincible reality-warping beings, however — the most he could do was help prevent Discord from acquiring resources from the rest of the Multiverse. Only to see his knowledge and ethics prove useless to protect his new friend — cursed by Discord to believe her friends (in truth also cursed to behave against their natures) had turned against her her, Staren could do nothing to stop one of his most treasured friends from being forced to live the worst nightmare that had haunted him for so many years. Heroism had failed again, Staren had failed again, and completely and utterly heartbroken, he laid in his tent for a week, listening to the endless rain, and trying to turn away from the cruel world. Barely rising to tend to his body's needs.
+
He got his chance when Discord, incarnation of chaos, turned Equestria upside down (sometimes literally). His talents were ill-suited to sealing seemingly-invincible reality-warping beings, however — the most he could do was help prevent Discord from acquiring resources from the rest of the Multiverse. Only to see his knowledge and ethics prove useless to protect his new friend — cursed by Discord to believe her friends (in truth also cursed to behave against their natures) had turned against her her, Staren could do nothing to stop one of his most treasured friends from being forced to live the worst nightmare that had haunted him for so many years. Heroism had failed again, Staren had failed again, and completely and utterly heartbroken, turned away from the world.
  
−
Finally, he heard the voices of Twilight's friends, free from the curse, and learned that Twilight, too, had been freed. He returned to the fight against Discord, but could only slow and delay the draconequus until the local heroes could reseal him. But this time, there /were/ heroes, and the day was saved.
+
But only a week later, he learned that Twilight and her friends, had been freed. Staren returned to the fight against Discord, but could only slow and delay the draconequus until the local heroes could reseal him. But this time, there /were/ heroes, and the day was saved.
  
 
Before Equestria could recover, the entire multiverse came under attack. Confederate Emperor Viridian Sunrise had done what he could not — unlocked the secrets of the multiverse and used its power to enact his own vision of the future, with power even the Union could not fight. Heroes volunteered for a suicide mission — Staren stayed behind, convinced there /had/ to be some sort of better, smarter plan.
 
Before Equestria could recover, the entire multiverse came under attack. Confederate Emperor Viridian Sunrise had done what he could not — unlocked the secrets of the multiverse and used its power to enact his own vision of the future, with power even the Union could not fight. Heroes volunteered for a suicide mission — Staren stayed behind, convinced there /had/ to be some sort of better, smarter plan.
Line 140: Line 130:
 
The corpses turned out to be a ploy — the elites on the suicide mission returned alive, the Emperor slain. The heroes /had/ triumphed after all, this time. Staren was relieved, but did not forget his promise. He planned to look for clues in the pieces of technology Wireless had left behind — he would restore the brain uploader, fix its faults, and in so doing unlock a way to conquer death.
 
The corpses turned out to be a ploy — the elites on the suicide mission returned alive, the Emperor slain. The heroes /had/ triumphed after all, this time. Staren was relieved, but did not forget his promise. He planned to look for clues in the pieces of technology Wireless had left behind — he would restore the brain uploader, fix its faults, and in so doing unlock a way to conquer death.
  
−
Then a new world unified where brain uploading was commonplace and death, true death, was a scarce and horrifying thing rather than just another part of everyone's life. In fact, in this world immortality was seen as a basic right, and one of its denizens happily offered the gift to the Union. A completed, successful device was clearly superior to incomplete Wiretech, and Staren set to studying it, analyzing it to learn how it worked, making sure there was not a catch, no secret mind control programming hidden deep inside. He searched for the enchantments needed to use it on himself and his family, began growing clones, and so claimed a form of limited immortality — Not perfect, not foolproof, but far better than nothing.
+
Then a new world unified where brain uploading was commonplace and death, true death, was a scarce and horrifying thing rather than just another part of everyone's life. In fact, in this world immortality was seen as a basic right, and one of its denizens happily offered the gift to the Union. A completed, successful device was clearly superior to incomplete Wiretech, and Staren set to studying it, analyzing it to learn how it worked, making sure there was not a catch, no secret mind control programming hidden deep inside. Staren and his parents got their backups as soon as he was sure it was safe, began growing clones, and so claimed a form of limited immortality — Not perfect, not foolproof, but far better than nothing.
  
 
No others would accept this gift. One day, people would die again, for real. And he was still powerless to stop it.
 
No others would accept this gift. One day, people would die again, for real. And he was still powerless to stop it.
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He still needed more power...
 
He still needed more power...
 +
 +
After that, Staren had been part of more successes than failures. He'd helped save worlds, and when called for (and perhaps also when not called for) had brought extreme force of arms to bear, even spending a week as a sleepless robot hunting the clones of the Slaughterhouse Nine, and constructing a protoabstractum superweapon so powerful it blew a wing off the Dragon of Calamity, a being of legendary and godlike power.
 +
 +
But after having allies mistake his brutal methods for bloodlust, and seeing a reminder that sometimes, talking ''can'' end conflicts and spare lives, Staren began to wonder if there was another path...
 +
 +
In late 24 AU, the Multiverse reshaped itself and the Union and Confederacy fell. With the endless war finally over, Staren could focus on improving the Multiverse rather than endless fighting. He joined the League of Progress, and later the Concord, finding their approach to the Multiverse suited him better than the Union ever did -- letting Elites turn their full abilities and resources towards improving the world, without hamstringing them by insisting on upholding the status quo. At long last, he's found a place in the Multiverse.
 +
 +
Now to solve its infinite problems...
  
 
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Latest revision as of 08:48, 8 January 2018

Staren (Scenesys ID: 42)
Quote
"How does THAT work? I wonder if I can study it…"
Profile
Full Name: Staren
Gender: Male
Species: Catboy (Human/Shapeshifter Hybrid)
Theme: (OC) RIFTS-1
Function: SCIENCE!, Mecha Piloting
Status: Active
Factional Information
Faction: Concord (4-2 Gifted)
Groups: Daedalus Initiative, Gatecrashers Union, Die Reisende
Other Information
Physical Age: Mid 20s Actual Age: 25
Still Aging? Yes Voice Actor:
Height: 5'8" / 173cm Weight: 185 lbs / 84kg
Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Blue
Theme Song: Plum Creek Rhythm Section - A Light, an Answer[1]

Profile

Staren is a prodigy engineer and pilot from the magitech city of Lazlo. He has the advanced computer and robotics knowledge of an expert decades his senior, and has now branched out into studying multiversal phenomena. Believing any problem can be overcome with sufficient application of knowledge and ingenuity, the young man dreams of a better future for all. Armed with tools of magic and technology to fight, he has survived over a decade in the Multiverse through care and preparedness belied by a tendency to speak before he thinks. Once naive about the world due to only learning from books, he's now seen the great wonders and horrors and /weirdness/ of the Multiverse and become somewhat jaded, though he is still anxious as ever to learn how it all works. However, the nuances of social interaction remain more mysterious to him than those of physics or magic, and this makes it difficult for him to form close bonds. To help his friends, though, he would move the Multiverse itself if he could find a way -- and his willingness to consider such extreme actions is one of the very things that tends to push others away. In the wake of the Union and Confederacy's fall, Staren is hopeful that there is plenty of good he can do in the Multiverse other than endless fighting...

Advantages

Integral

INTEGRAL, CLICK TO EXPAND
{{{Defining}}}

Supporting

SUPPORTING, CLICK TO EXPAND
{{{Significant}}}

Disadvantages

DISADVANTAGES, CLICK TO EXPAND

SOCIALLY AWKWARD: Staren has difficulty picking up on social cues and the feelings of others. He doesn't always recognize when a given social interaction is escalating into conflict. His tendency to ask too many questions can be irritating. These traits together make it very hard for him to establish lasting friendships, and for his allies to trust him with certain responsibilities. Past miscommunications and arguments have made it equally hard for Staren to be open and honest around his allies in turn.

PRINCIPLED: In addition to his overall awkwardness, Staren possesses staunch principles regarding transhumanism, death, and the need to discover the science behind every Multiversal phenomenon he encounters. These core beliefs may distract him from more important objectives, or lead him on time-wasting tangents that others find hard to follow.

SKEPTIC: Though he once believed in the general goodness of others, Staren has become a harsh skeptic. He's learned that it's not easy to redeem villains, and that he's rarely suited to the task; swift action is often the better solution compared to diplomacy. He's still capable of compassion, but he needs to be reminded of its importance by those who are closest to him. His skepticism also manifests as what others may perceive as an insulting disdain for religions, religious figures, and the capabilities of deities.

S.D.C. CREATURE: Caught outside his Power Armor or mecha, Staren is pretty average. He possesses no special traits that would improve his survival in a fight, aside from his nanotechnology and various equipment -- but that doesn't offer much! In other words, he's an easy, squishy target for his enemies. (PL 22 outside Power Armor/Star Hawk/Robot Body.)

ELUDES DEATH, BUT...: Staren is protected from an absolute death thanks to his Cortical Stack, but if his chip can't be recovered by his allies from the site of his demise, he'll have to recover from his nightly back-up instead, leading to the loss of any data, experiences, and memories accrued between the time of back-up and the time of death. Awakening in a new body can risk psychological trauma, too, and imparts several mental and physical penalties that usually wear off within a few days -- if he can awaken at all. There may come a time when his solution to mortality just...fails.

NANOTECHNOLOGY FLAWS: Nanotechnology is not compatible with all aspects of the Multiverse. It may have difficulty working with exotic materials, may be unable to fabricate certain objects even with blueprints, and healing vats and the like (see Equipment) may be unable to help someone, depending on their physiology. Nanotechnology is also susceptible to electronic interference, hacking, and other forms of outside technological manipulation.

Logs

LOGS, CLICK TO EXPAND
Title Date Scene Summary
KHA: A Door to the Heart May 30th, 2020 The final showdown with the Seeker of Darkness occurs at the End of the World, a place where Hearts lost to Darkness collect. There, Ansem stands before a door that leads to a Darkness deeper still.
KHA: A Path To The End May 27th, 2020 The tracking device planted by Seifer draws him and many interested in saving Riku to the deadly deep dive of Hollow Bastion. What secrets does this place hold, and what lies beyond?
Operation: Crowd Control E-1A Reinforcement May 22nd, 2020 A simple cargo escort has an unexpected visitor.
Old Schoolhouse Exploration 4 March 7th, 2020 People clear out the 6th and apparently final floor of the Old Schoolhouse. Is this truly the end of the mystery?
FATE: The Castle Run In Under 12 Malms March 3rd, 2020 {{{Synopsis}}}
LI0: I'm Right Here (MSQ) February 28th, 2020 The weapons are crafted. The relics are empowered. It is time for the final showdown with Haseo to determine the future of the Last Illusion.
LI0: Black Swan, Yellow Hands (Red Shrine) February 14th, 2020 A desperate group of heroes rush to the Red Birds Shrine in order to empower the Relic. There shouldn't be any defenses, but there are complications...
BCoB: Beneath The Silence February 11th, 2020 Castrum Occidens has gone dark. The heroes go to find out way and uncover more than they could have imagined.
LI0: The Sages Of Pradia (MSQ) February 7th, 2020 The world investigators come to the Western Town of Pradia in order to look for information and possibly change the world a bit.
LI0: Too Many Dragons (MSQ) January 23rd, 2020 The investigators go to Bartal and confront the False Dragon Spirit.
CT4: A World of Darkness January 14th, 2020 Heroes invade the Void in order to prevent the Emperor of Allag from marshalling his forces to destroy the world.
LI0: Welcome To Finaria January 12th, 2020 The world of Last Illusion is mysteriously reset to its beginning, and the Multiverse begins to intervene in the progression of its events.
LI0: After The End January 8th, 2020 People visit the world of Last Illusion to get some idea of what they have to deal with.
CT3: You Have Selected Regicide January 7th, 2020 The investigation team uses a risky method to breach the Crystal Tower and stop Xande and save G'raha Tia.
The Works Lost to the Cold and Dark December 4th, 2019 The Concord, lead by Priscilla, come to exact both revenge and their pound of flesh from both the Nameless Servant and the Watch in general
Retribution Railway - Sidetracked November 11th, 2019 Gang comes across a molemen battalion also trying to chase down the demon train.
SWRD 3: Big Fish, Little Pond October 18th, 2019 The investigation team moves directly to confront the apparent source of the problem: Apricot Software Solutions. The conclusion leaves more questions than answers.
Retribution Railway - Hellion October 10th, 2019 {{{Synopsis}}}
Hearts Of Glass: Polychromatic September 13th, 2019 The final showdown between the Witches created by Mikoto's efforts to escape her nature... and everyone who had come to stop them.
Aurora Shell Analysis September 12th, 2019 A group of scientists meet with Solty Revant to discuss what they have discovered about the Aurora Shell and the Blastfall before the local authorities attempt to arrest them and contain the information they discovered.
Hearts Of Glass: The Annealing September 3rd, 2019 A tale about three friends who tried to cross the sea. Because the debt has not been paid.
Hearts of Glass: The Flashing August 27th, 2019 More Witches show up to seemingly laser-target Mikoto's past. Things get complicated.
Hearts of Glass: The Gather August 20th, 2019 A strange Witch attacks Mikoto's private school, and causes more questions than answers.
Are We Even Old Enough to Drink August 9th, 2019 A random collection of loosely linked people accidentally meet up for dinner.
Airship vs Air Defense August 5th, 2019 Davao, the newest Princess-class, invades Zemuria and starts harrassing their airships.

Rean Schwarzer, Staren and Note take exception to this.

You've arrived, eh July 1st, 2019 Several aircraft have gone down over an area of the Phillipines. An alert was put out after a high-speed scout plane escaped with minimal damage and reported ground fire in the area.

The Fifth Fleet and some allies got to the place, and find a graveyard of downed cargo planes.

And a new 'friend'.

FATE: There Might Be Giants June 20th, 2019 Adventurers help the Scions of the Seventh Dawn put down a rampaging giant. Also, Haseo has a meeting with an Ascian. He doesn't like it.
A Special Lesson: Multiverse Edition June 16th, 2019 During one of Class VIIs field studies, Rean invites various multiversals to teach the children of Nord about the world beyond Zemuria.
Old Schoolhouse Exploration 1 May 19th, 2019 The exploration team investigates the third floor of the Old Schoolhouse.
Old Schoolhouse Briefing May 9th, 2019 Principal Vandyke of Thors Military Academy explains what's going on with a dilapidated building at the back of the school - namely, it turning into a JRPG dungeon.
Surprise! You're Going Out to Eat Tonight May 2nd, 2019 Three people find themselves at the Bar and Grill at the Edge of the Multiverse.
The Countdown Is At One April 30th, 2019 {{{Synopsis}}}
The Girl in Blue March 11th, 2019 Guards are hired to protect an important medical shipment, but instead get tangled up in a story of greed with modern day robin hoods.
The Betrayal of Paradise February 14th, 2019 Yomi calls in allies to help get a leg up on a strange hostage situation.
Viral Outbreak February 6th, 2019 Charta puts out a call for aid.
The Citadel of the Vile King January 24th, 2019 The citadel of the dragon tyrant, Caer Gwrtheyrn, invites King Arthur and comrades within to confront Vortigern over the future of Britain.
Market Day in Ul'dah January 10th, 2019 Katt, Staren, Inga and Raha take some time to peruse the markets of Ul'dah, and chit chat about life and stuff.
On The Topic Of Monster Hunting ft. Raha and Samus January 8th, 2019 Samus meets Raha and Staren, decides to murder a Dragon
Easy Choices at Sea December 28th, 2018 Two cruise ships spring leaks, an Abyssal cruiser makes a choice about who to save, and things get worse very quickly.
Techno-Wizard Introduction December 23rd, 2018 A bunch of people get hungry and end up at the Bar & Grill. Reyes meets people. Discussion turns to the subject of Staren's hometown and its noninterventionist policies.
FateParadox: Burning Saber December 15th, 2018 Saber tries out the device made by the Concord. Ruler takes issue
A Shining Introduction December 12th, 2018 The Titanic Exalted God-King, Xianren, invites his Concord allies to a gala to introduce himself.
Slightly Late Turkey Day November 23rd, 2018 A late thanksgiving party at Archer's home
RIFTS: The Garnet Town Gambit Part 3 November 7th, 2018 The party returns to Garnet Town with the freed prisoners. The town has a decision to make... and one last loose end to wrap up.
A Meeting With Mercy November 5th, 2018 Mercy talks to Staren about immortality and those who seek to share it with others.
Fetch Quest November 3rd, 2018 Taiga NPC accidentally bugged an area trying to spawn in some items, but luckily a few brave adventurers answer her distress signal to help her retrieve some valuables before the area gets deleted.
To See the Path October 29th, 2018 Nie Li holds a cultivation examination in the Shrine to discern the natures of his fellow Concord members.
RIFTS: The Garnet Town Gambit (Part 2) October 24th, 2018 Having tracked down the brodkil camp, our heroes slay the demons, save the prisoners, encounter a human collaborator, and learn who was truly behind the attacks.
RIFTS: The Garnet Town Gambit (Part 1) October 19th, 2018 Answering a call for help, our heroes find a small town suffering from demonic raiders and caught between two factions offering help with strings attached.
At least I Have Chicken... Wait, No I Don't, Let's Get Some Chicken October 11th, 2018 Staren and Seifer are tasked to buy chicken. Concorders tag along for a grocery trip, and run into some friends. Nyrinel and Inga win hearts and minds for creepy magic.
The Foreigner Is Coming Home September 14th, 2018 The Foreigner comes home.
An Avenger In Paris September 9th, 2018 The FateParadox Avenger blasts his way into Paris, out for blood
Payback is a *bleep*! September 5th, 2018 Solty Revant's intro scene! Roy is in trouble and needs help, and several Multiversals show up to help him!
Escape From Facinaturu August 5th, 2018 Elites from multiple factions as well those unaligned try to rescue Asellus and White Rose from the tyranny of Chateau Aiguille, run by Mystic Lord Orlouge.
Red Talon Reprisal July 31st, 2018 Red Talon attack a town. Elites stop them and then Grimm show up.
A Spirited Discussion About Technology July 23rd, 2018 Riva attacks a genetics alteration clinic for Reasons. Staren happens to be on hand to stop her. A deep and intense discussion about technology ensues.
P:WtWM: Even Speedwagon is Taken! June 30th, 2018 Die Reisende rush a tower in the Mirror Forest to save Speedwagon
Heavy Robotic Signatures Detected June 16th, 2018 Zek wants a spaceship, so he enlists some help in clearing it out. It turns out it's a bit more complicated than that.
Shrine of Adversity: Bones of Contention June 1st, 2018 Septette and Penelope spar in the Shrine of Adversity.
FateParadox: New Beginnings May 26th, 2018 The new Grail War begins with a battle on a big bridge
War in the West-Vermilion May 15th, 2018 Pending
Poker Night Beta Again May 12th, 2018 Pending
The Dark Lady: Wavering Heroes May 10th, 2018 Tomoe and her party confront some more of the heroes who have started to question their own existence and just what is actually going on.
Downward Spiral-1 May 9th, 2018 Pending
Beyond the Emerald Key-1 May 5th, 2018 Pending
An Unlikely Silver Tongue May 4th, 2018 Pending
The Opposite of Unearthed May 3rd, 2018 Pending
Prospektor's Revolt-Finale May 2nd, 2018 Pending
Lookshy: The Aftermath April 23rd, 2018 Pending
Prospektor's Revolt-7 April 21st, 2018 Pending
Welcome to the Multiverse, ACT B3-114! April 20th, 2018 Pending
The Blue Light Room April 18th, 2018 Placeholder
Dark Lady: Hunt 2 April 13th, 2018 Pending
The Morning Ends March 10th, 2018 The end of Lumiere's ancient past
Then The Morning Comes (4) March 5th, 2018 Prepared, the party re-enters Lumiere to confront its mysteries
What One Values February 5th, 2018 Those who know the missing Count Kord venture into his home to locate items that may be used to find him
Chasing The Sun (1) February 3rd, 2018 Investigators follow up on reports of missing Elites.
Potential Psychic Essence January 30th, 2018 Staren invites Miari to RIFTS Earth to discuss the similarities between Essence and PPE, and to see if he can interace with Creation's magitech. The discussion leads to magical cybernetics.
Ghosts In The Machines January 25th, 2018 A scholar and an inventor have a chat.
TGSBP: Dancing with Devils January 13th, 2018 The Avenger finally reveals himself, and the Hvergel royal wedding goes up in smoke. Part of The Guilty Shall Be Punished mini-plot.
Prospektor's Revolt-1 January 4th, 2018 Pending. Submitting logs because nobody has been.
Dead Man's Panopticon January 2nd, 2018 Pending. Submitting logs because nobody has been.
Fragments: Venus December 28th, 2017 The trail of Fragments--and troubling Corpus developments--leads to Venus.
The Dark Lady PT 2: Little Trouble In a Little Villiage December 12th, 2017 Tomoe and company go to confronting the 'heroes' for the first time and accidentally end up kidnapping the local barmaid who looks a hell of a lot like she's Tomoe's sister.
WANTED: The Conductor (2) November 27th, 2017 The Conductor appears.
Chains and Blood (Finale) November 20th, 2017 Choices are made. Monsters are slain. And fates are woven tightly together, as the Second Marble Guardian appears.
When The Gutters Bleed November 17th, 2017 Elites challenge their second Mausoleum, and the Marble Guardian within.
Exploration: Chopping Grounds (3) November 13th, 2017 More mysteries of Lumiere are revealed, providing as many questions as answers.
WANTED: Wormfeast (2) November 10th, 2017 The monstrous Wormfeast returns for a final showdown.
Exploration: Chopping Grounds (2) November 9th, 2017 Choices are made during a further exploration of the Chopping Grounds.
WANTED: Executor 13 (2) November 3rd, 2017 Boss fight time. Executor 13 faces a crowd of powerful Elites in a chamber full of custom-made torture equipment.
WANTED: Executor 13 November 2nd, 2017 A monster that worked for the Crimson King must be put to rest, or so the bounty filed at City Limits says. Elites take up the task.
The Denandsor Project-3 October 28th, 2017 The Deathknight Shards of Basalt launches an ill-advised assault on Denandsor.
Chimes October 20th, 2017 Clues are sought about the mysterious Chimes and perhaps where to find Crow, in the lower reaches of the Library of Murdered Knowledge.
Joint Training October 18th, 2017 A fight breaks out to test the newly opened Shrine of Adversity
Layers October 13th, 2017 Carna has been tracked down to a place tied to the myth of Atlantis... In an area once sealed off by an ugly black mold and deep, black waters.
Lost Light October 11th, 2017 Clues are sought about how to find and save Carna after a mishap at Confederate HQ's ruins.
The Final Taint September 30th, 2017 Tomoyo calls a meeting during the final improvised Taint to ensure that bad blood does not linger. Loose threads are tied off, and the city is finally left alone.
Hands September 29th, 2017 Elites come across a most worrisome clock.
Nine Of Crows September 29th, 2017 In an underground tunnel, fakes battle the real thing, with lives hanging in the balance.
OMNI: One More FiNIsh September 23rd, 2017 Both Inspiration Trust and the rebellious splinter group make their way to OMNI's central server. The matter is finally settled.
Urban Lungs September 12th, 2017 Elites descend into sealed tunnels below the city where the Urban Breath pervades the very air, aiming to rip it's influence out from the roots.
Sub-Operation: Abyssal Transport Fleet September 9th, 2017 A standard attack on a transport fleet goes awry.
The Lost Battalion September 6th, 2017 A unit belonging to the former Franz Republic has set up in the Argonne, and local Imperial forces have been unable to push them out. It's time for Major Degurechaff to round up some volunteers to resolve the problem.
ICoT: A Bastion of their Own August 31st, 2017 The Kid leads a team of Elites up Mount Zand, a sacred place to the Ura... and a Bastion for the beasts of the Wild.
Depths August 23rd, 2017 After escaping a horde of Unlit, the explorers find themselves in worse shape. But at least they gain reinforcements.
AOH: Every Rivet, Every Weld July 22nd, 2017 Agents of the Black Fleet turn up in Shirokodai, specifically seeking revenge.
Warp Iris: The Conclusion July 13th, 2017 The finale. The end of Loci Iris.
MISSION: Starwatch (4) July 11th, 2017 A rumble on the moon, including gorilla warfare.
(What) Do People Think July 10th, 2017 Inspiration Trust wrangles some helpers to survey the common folk in the city in which OMNI sees all.
MISSION: Starwatch (3) July 10th, 2017 There are several problems upon arriving on the moon, not only because of disagreements. But because of its current inhabitants.
MISSION: Starwatch (2) July 8th, 2017 With resources gathered, it's time to ascend to the moon.
Dark Castle of the Forest July 7th, 2017 How the whole Dark Lady chain, started. Tomoe rushed off to do what was intended by Cardinal to be a group quest, and things go bad, very bad.
MISSION: Starwatch (1) July 5th, 2017 The Starbound Flotilla is back, and their sights are set on Numbani with their new allies.
AOH: Purify This Hate June 17th, 2017 The Black Fleet makes its first move. Their target: The Asherah mobile water purification plant in Scorched Earth.
Concord: Link Start June 16th, 2017 After mentioning the possibility of setting up VR training simulations, Staren finds some of his allies unfamiliar with the concept and decides to teach them about FullDive.
Field of Steams June 14th, 2017 The crew have to rescue Corona and her new friend from a steamy, slimy situation.
Training Day June 13th, 2017 Staren meets with Tanya during the training of some nameless recruits.
ICoT: Spike in a Rail June 12th, 2017 Kid and co. take the Grand Railroad to deliver the Shard and supplies back to the Bastion. They pick up some extra cargo along the way.
Tainting the Taint June 8th, 2017 A splinter cell of Taint artists seek the Watch's help in disabling one of OMNI's server farms. But Yang has already informed the government of their intended actions. A clash between punks and public security begins here!
Recovery June 7th, 2017 A few days ago, Yuna put her life and sanity on the line to teach the Warp Iris about friendship and love. She knew it was going to be a costly attempt, whether it succeeded or not, and while it didn't kill her, it scrambled her memories and plunged her into a coma which may or may not be laced with nightmares.

Elner has been analyzing the options, and has enlisted Flamel Parsons' aid to lead a group of Yuna's friends into the depths of her fragmented psyche, to repair the damage and help bring her back.

What secrets will they uncover, and which of them will hold the key to bringing Yuna back to the waking world?

Getting Back On Track June 3rd, 2017 The expedition to the north mountains has a rough start when bandits try to rob the train.
High Impact Grimm Explosions June 2nd, 2017 Grimm attack.

Elites respond.

Warp Iris: Nettled June 1st, 2017 In the aftermath of the last encounter with the Warp Iris, Staren is reminded that an old friend may be able to help...
The Warp Iris: Confrontation June 1st, 2017 Poor communication kills.
Resurrection of The Bat May 2nd, 2017 Kari Wolf, Staren and Princess Luna respond to a gunbattle over a strange ancient book sought after by Dracula cultists... but they find something else!
Welcome to Our World April 28th, 2017 A monstrous giant comes from the sea and attacks Tokyo.
Welcome to Alfheim April 23rd, 2017 Upon learning that video games are real and the VRMMO and RL worlds have merged, Kirito and others go to Alfheim to investigate.
A Forge Left Cold April 7th, 2017 An attempt to explore Umberdark Tunnels further deposits everyone at a very different place instead.
The Taint: Public Council April 6th, 2017 Inspiration Trust gathers to debate OMNI, the AI overseer of a futuristic city that forbids personal expression. More progress than expected is made!
Warp Iris: The Lure March 31st, 2017 Elites gather to beckon the Warp Iris, the being from beyond the universe. Reasons differ, conflict ensues. Negotiation occurs.
Rockin' Sixteen March 12th, 2017 Toph turns sixteen. Of course there will be party!
The Mad Magician Comes To Call March 6th, 2017 Theurgus seeks out Flamel's bosses after talking to him. Instead, she meets Staren, Nine, and Rhapsody.
Annual MainTAINTance February 11th, 2017 The annual Taint, an artful protest against a technological reigme has come. Elites fight on both side, even when they don't want to.
Slithering Into The Depths January 26th, 2017 Flamel leads an expedition into Medusa's mind to showcase just what a psychonaut can do. Just what is a witch's mind like?
When The Sun Goes Out January 13th, 2017 The first Marble Guardian awaits in a dungeon beneath the headquarters of the Stone Devils.
Love and Pleasantness in Ponyville January 8th, 2017 Several ponies and non-ponies meet in Ponyville, trying to deal with the icy cold and warm feelings of love and friendship.
Fade-ing Memories December 31st, 2016 The Soft Expanse is a bit of a weird place. This time some of Thedas's weirdness intrudes, for a brief period of time. Adventurers are, thankfully, there when the fecal matter impacts the ventilation system, and so can clean it up.
Book Ratturn December 29th, 2016 Skaven attack the Library of Exclamation, a sacred place to Inconsequentia, Goddess of Sidequests. People object.
To Find a Home December 28th, 2016 The GU heads out to clean out an castle in the quilt in the hopes of turning it into a home.
The Nature of Darkness December 23rd, 2016 After the Multiversal reordering, the fall of the Super Factions, and many other changes, a return to Lumiere occurs to decide what to do about the Stone Devils.
Border Crossing December 21st, 2016 Will and friends try to cross into Iskandria. The Iron Church attempts to hold a peace conference, but someone thinks it's wise to drive an airship into the fortress instead. Victor Xix gets political cred, Mel Brock hurls a bunch of ragtag adventurers into a monster-infested swamp.
Damocles Released December 15th, 2016 Harry Dresden is double conscripted into being a double cop, is very confused about it.
Operation: Crimson Vengeance November 26th, 2016 Sometimes, people do things that are rather stupid.

Sometimes, those people get what's coming to them much sooner than expected.

Council Mission: Interception.

SPACESHIP! November 17th, 2016 Staren invites people to his ship. Sokka falls in love with future technology immediately.
The Halo November 15th, 2016 The allies of the Izzet defend the Nexus.. and then a miracle.
Urban Mythos November 7th, 2016 ...or, A Talk With The Bogeyman. TSW Halloween 2016, final(?) part.
Contract of the God's Forge - Divine October 28th, 2016 The entire Catacombs are aggro'd at once. Heroes discover the final smith in the trio. His focus is spoiled.
The Sweet Laughter of Children (1) October 27th, 2016 Children go missing. They turn up in the Park. Nothing good happens. (TSW Halloween 2016)
Mob Rules October 26th, 2016 Forgotten Ophelia follows her feet, and winds up next to Staren. And then comes Inga and Ainsley.
Heaven Laid In Tears October 25th, 2016 Operation FOO goes into effect.

Ophelia gets curb stomped.

Out of the Way October 23rd, 2016 O-Hiko's domain is attacked and the Izzet allies move to defend... and get help from someone they don't see..
Contract of the Gods' Forge - Crystal October 16th, 2016 The darkest depths of Seath's basement are explored. The living failures are found, as is the shiny shiny.
Building A Better Deathtrap October 15th, 2016 Attempts to build a community for the civilian Lanterns in Lumiere run face first into an obstacle known as the Stone Devils.
Winterfield's Secret October 13th, 2016 The true investigation into the origins of Anne Blakely begins in a sleepy, snowy little town, in the aftermath of a horror movie.
Stone Devils Cometh October 12th, 2016 Temporal shenanigans involve a subway that recursively repeats temporal shenanigans that involve a subway that recursively repeats temporal shenanigans that involve a subway that recursively repeats temporal shenanigans that...
Cemetary Gate October 9th, 2016 Drowned Ophelia is going to save Inga from her Gods - by drowning her in the Sea of Black Tears, and claiming her forever after for the Dead Gods of Metal.

Some heroes raise objections in a sensible and violent manner.

Contact: Hookcloaks (1) October 5th, 2016 Oh my god what the hell is this horrific [spoiler]
The Forest Below October 2nd, 2016 The various notebooks recovered from THE REDFERN FLAT and from Rhapsody's meeting with IJIWARU have been translated! Coded notes from Yunomi's personal studies, secreted away from the Izzet and prying Magic-Eater eyes both outlining not only the plans for the Mana Nexus's components and the Mana Vine network planned to cover much of the city of Ravnica -- both above, and below. The notebooks pointed to several locations within Ravnica, possible secret labs of the tanuki's work. The first of these was called The Underground Forest, and it is true to its name.
What is Lost: Space Hulk September 30th, 2016 The team arrives at the station where the exchange for CEO Doyle Sister was but our team runs into something dark. Humans who wish to become something other than Human have dark plans for escaping into the multiverse and Firewall also has taken notice.
Season of Pain 2 - I Had An Angel September 23rd, 2016 Season of Pain 2 - The Drowning Doom looks to show cyborgs who shed their flesh what isolation really means. A 'Altered Perception Virus' is propagating through Tokyo thanks to a combination of techy and death metal magic; One that removes all sight and sound of any other human, leaving one lost and alone in a world of ghosts. Can the heroes halt it before someone gets seriously hurt?
The Way of the Everlasting Dragon September 14th, 2016 The mendicant warrior-ascetics of the cult of the Everlasting Dragons show up on Anor Londo's doorstep. A disaster is narrowly averted when a dragon-ish idol shows up to demand a stage performance instead.
Exploration: Guillotine Square (1) September 11th, 2016 The sewer level. It is awful. Also, mysterious Lanterns try to kidnap the :D.
What is lost: The Stranger September 2nd, 2016 A Hyper Corp CEO named Debra Doyle comes to the Daedalus Initiative about a job to recover her long missing twin sister and offers a payment in mapping data for the work.
Hiding in Pain Sight September 1st, 2016 Yunomi is no longer in Ravnica -- a group of investigative adventurers search SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA for a sign of the missing mage.
Chase of Last Century August 30th, 2016 One of Anne Blakely's old inventions goes on a rampage. Staren says the A word in front of Fate.
tFSoK-The Hawk's Eyes-2 August 29th, 2016 Gough finally gets to use his eyes for the first time in centuries.
tFSoK-The Lion's Pride-2 August 26th, 2016 Sinh the slumbering dragon is engaged and slain. Ornstein is pleased.
The Guilds Meet August 24th, 2016 The Guilds meet.
THE GRAND PRESENTATION August 19th, 2016 Yunomi officially unveils the Mana Nexus! AND NOTHING BAD -- everything bad happens. A coup, betrayal, fighting -- and pain, so much pain.
Exploration: Pristine Plagueway August 19th, 2016 The Wall of Cruel Customs falls, explorers proceed, they meet :D on the way.
Tinder - The Start Up August 15th, 2016 The Test Start Up! A Catered event where a few select members attending can witness the birth of a new era in Ravnica as a test start up for the Mana Nexus occurs -- AND NOTHING COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG.
Persona:WTWM - Feeding Frenzy August 12th, 2016 DYNASTY WARRIORS, PERSONA EDITION! People wander into the Mirror Forest at a carnival, requiring Die Reisende to fight a Shadow onslaught, close the open mirrors, and find any clues possible!
Missing Links August 11th, 2016 The Union has finally tracked down Anne Blakely, and cornered her at her shop, where she reveals the final kidnappee's fate.
Persona:WTWM - And This Little Piggy August 9th, 2016 Ainsley 'chats' with the Pig, and learns some interesting things about his personality. The group finds an odd pair of Shadows, and August almost gets eaten by a vampire tree.
tFSoK - The Lion's Pride-1 August 8th, 2016 Would-be dragonslayers explore the depths of the Shulva chasm.
tFSoK - The Hawk's Eyes August 2nd, 2016 Gough has his first medical checkup ever.
From The Depths July 25th, 2016 Drowned Ophelia steals the medical remains of Kotone. This results in the creation of Flesh Doll later.
A Lizard Talks With A Cat July 24th, 2016 Ainsley comes over to talk with Staren.
Prayer For The Refugees July 17th, 2016 Those rescued from the Wall of Cruel Customs have temporary refuge at the Church of Bleak Mercy. But where will they go from now on?
Twilight Explains Social Stuff to a Robot July 17th, 2016 Staren goes to Twilight for advice after Yet Another Radio Blowup. Valentha comes along to help too.
PWTWM-An Acknowledged Threat-2 July 15th, 2016 Die Reisende has entered the Mirror Forest with no preparation and an abducted...person? With a sprawling dungeon in front of them, surely they'll find answers...or a trap.
Testing Grounds July 14th, 2016 Anne Blakely has a new construct, made differently from her others. She's running a test, and attracts some bad attention from the Union.
Taking Initiative July 13th, 2016 Staren calls a meeting of Daedalus Initiative members to come up with ideas for initial projects.
= Occult Expedition July 11th, 2016 Mihk sent some Magic Ward Interns out to a desert library to get study material.

They never returned. So she's led a group of Elites to go find them.

PWTWM-An Acknowledged Threat-1 July 8th, 2016 Die Reisende takes their investigation for the missing student into the real world, after finding a list of possible names. But things don't go remotely as planned...
The Four Symbols of Knighthood - 1 July 7th, 2016 The quartet of sidequests begins, courtesy of the famous Knights of Gwyn.
A Matter of Spirit July 4th, 2016 Karal wants training in cutting spirits
Ye Olde Chase Scene July 2nd, 2016 Rescuing Athela and her courier from pursuing Team Golem cultists.
PWTWM-An Acknowledged Threat-Prologue July 1st, 2016 Someone has been abducted once more, not long after the last time. But when Die Reisende searches the Mirror Forest for the victim, they find themselves obstructed.
P:WtWM - The Dashing Herald of Bad News June 26th, 2016 Die Reisenden and friends travel into the Forest to rescue a rumormonger from the Shadows within.
Gunbreak Malvader Nest June 24th, 2016 The Gunbreak Cavern has been overrun by Malvader-type viruses. Lexicon tasks adventurers with clearing it out.
Of Physics and Philosophy June 21st, 2016 What happens when you mix science and spirituality? Xiaomu, Staren, and Sigrun find out.
Getting the Ley of the Land June 16th, 2016 Something bad is happening near Lazlo.
Exploration: Grand Gallery (1) June 14th, 2016 An attempt to put an end to mimics creating mimics results in an encounter that no one expected.
The Library of Murdered Knowledge June 11th, 2016 A tower supposedly containing the sum total of all human knowledge is being explored. The explorers are not alone.
Dirge at Sunrise June 3rd, 2016 Goodnight moon.

This log is really unclean and will likely remain so. Sorry about that!

Contact: Escher (2) May 24th, 2016 Some matters are clarified by speaking to a survivor among the Lit within Escher.
Party Like It's 2028! May 23rd, 2016 The Sleeping Knights throw Yuuki a small party for her 16th birthday. Without telling her, they invite her new friends as a surprise!
Raid for Justice May 22nd, 2016 Tomoyo leads a raid on Gentle Brooks, an apartment block for criminals. Their target is one man, but many stand between they and him.
Contact: Escher May 17th, 2016 Further exploration of the tower of Escher turns out to be confusing and hazardous.
In Pursuit of Justice May 15th, 2016 An illegal auction is broken up by Elites at Tomoyo's suggestion.
Black Descent (CCO) May 14th, 2016 The players witness a scene of terror, where a top-tier pirate vessel is wiped out by a rogue encounter
Elimination: Urban Decay (1) May 11th, 2016 An attempt to reduce the threat level of the Urban Decay results in the discovery of a new sub-area of it. Confederates, Syndicate, and Union work together to eliminate the enemy!
Slaves to the Metal Horde: Part 4 May 10th, 2016 Let's see what's at the heart of the Metal Horde. Can the steel shell be pierced through, or will everything go down in flames?
Exploration: Escher May 7th, 2016 Exploration of a gore-soaked tower leads to an even more unpleasant discovery than might have been expected.
Exploration: Urban Decay (1) April 27th, 2016 Exploration of the area immediately outside the Church of Bleak Mercy, known as the Urban Decay.
Welcome To Barrowville April 17th, 2016 The first encounter with a world of Death, known as Lumiere.
Set Sail for Adventure! April 8th, 2016 Our adventurers learn more of the game when they run into pirates! The pirates learn the difference between stats and skill.
We Didn't Start The Fire! April 7th, 2016 The Hellions are up to some kind of trouble again in an office building! And a mysterious second group has gone in after them! Heroes local and Multiversal respond!
A Sylph in time. March 18th, 2016 Zephyr's playing ALO, and gets herself in a spot of trouble while trying to solo a mid-level quest.

Staren, Talken(Yuuki's NPC) and Tomoe step in to help her out!

Flower of a Distant Pond March 13th, 2016 The Flotilla happens upon a Generation Ship that is nearly 3000 years old. Yet there may still be something to salvage here...
One Night at Maison Stark March 13th, 2016 While Tony and Pepper are away on their honeymoon, Malibu is still bustling as Toph celebrates her fifteenth birthday with a sleep over.
IFOS: Action, Please March 8th, 2016 It's time to finish this once and for all. And what better way to do it than with a musical number?
A Stark Reception. March 5th, 2016 NO ONE PLAY RAINS OF CASTAMERE!
IFOS: Jumping Jack Flash March 2nd, 2016 Mike's got a chip on his shoulder and a voice in his head telling him to ROLL INTO TOWN and CRUSH ALL OPPOSITION. He's bringing some real fury to the road, and it's up to the heroes of the day to go on a car crushing saga.
49°51'S 128°34'W March 1st, 2016 You know what's even worse than giant, futuristic battleships? Horrible coral monsters. In this episode: Will gets scarred for life! Mel and Maaka make a friend! AWFUL THINGS ARE UNLEASHED.
Taking A 'Shine To Things February 28th, 2016 A moonshine operation is discovered to be darker than it seems...
Staren and Toph and Eva and Ice Cream February 24th, 2016 Staren and Toph go to talk with Evangeline concerning the little neuroi's run in with HK-47.
Lost Logia Hunt February 19th, 2016 A distress call rings out from the Planetary Plains.

A giant blob monster is being attacked by a group of TSAB mages.

Elites arrive to help.

Returning Favors February 17th, 2016 After months in apparent hiding, HK-47 is finally spotted on the graveyard planet of Dahrtag - otherwise known as the 'Necropolis'. With his first open appearance since the truce, now is the best time to make the hunter into the prey - in one of the most brutal battles with the droid thus far.
Sleepy kitty, Happy kitty February 16th, 2016 Team RWBY seek their wayward member. What will they discover if/when they /do/ find her?
Fangs for the Memories February 10th, 2016 A seemingly normal bookstore, owned by a human and staffed by Faunus. What could the White Fang want here?
Teaching a Cat to Skate January 30th, 2016 With Staren's interest in the equipment, Nagato offers to teach him.
ICoT: Pyth Orchard January 30th, 2016 No use praying to the Gods these days. No time for it, either. Kid says a little prayer anyway. Couldn't hurt, right?
IFOS: Born to Be Wild January 28th, 2016 It's a race! Palo Duro Canyon gets torn up by a the vehicle gangs as they ring in the new year. Can our heroes beat them to the finish line?
Monkeys With Silver Sticks January 12th, 2016 Ren becomes concerned about Staren, and attempts to give him some unsolicited advice.
Shadows Cast By Midnight Light January 11th, 2016 One cold night in Alberichstadt, the Shadows within the Mirror Forest seem agitated. A party of Elites go to investigate, and learn of tragic consequences.
Perspective In Potentia January 11th, 2016 A return to the Land of Steel, where a Liner settlement is revealed and a few new actors take the stage. Feat: FIRETRUCK RED, THE TRUE MAIN CHARACTER.
ASW Training January 9th, 2016 More training this time, and with Momoyo's submarine antics, time to teach the destroyers how to better use Anti Sub gear.
Who Watches The Watchers January 8th, 2016 A desperate team invades the Tower of Lezard Valeth in order to rescue a kidnapped defector from an oppressive army. What dangers will these heroes face in order to save the Grigori, Sophia?
A Taste of the Multiverse January 7th, 2016 Hearing that Kal Udar has never had real food, Staren contrives to remedy this at the Bar & Grill
The Nightmare After Christmas January 7th, 2016 Angry ex-christmas tree riot!
The Fleet and FullDive January 4th, 2016 As an attempt to increase morale among the fleet, Nagato and Haguro join up in ALO!
The Scouring of the Valley December 28th, 2015 A motley group of adventurers from across the Multiverse have assembled in Lordran in order to engage in psychopathi- RIGHTEOUS, I MEAN RIGHTEOUS murder for the benefit of all living beings. Because drakes suck. Oh right, we might be building a sewer system for Blight Town too or something whatever, kill more drakes.
Where in the Galaxy is HK-47 December 24th, 2015 Members of the Union gather up to unwrap some unconventional christmas presents - the skulls of the nine HK-droid cores recovered thus far - and see if the presents - the droid's data-stores - are the worthwhile gifts they hope for.
Redeem the Christmas Renegade December 22nd, 2015 Rudolph the red nosed reindeer has a very important quest.
Scars of a Plague Before Undeath - 2 December 21st, 2015 Continued efforts to clean the area around Blighttown.
Resurrection and Rebirth December 19th, 2015 Wherein a group of unionites deliberately create, then subsequently walk into, Omelas.
AA: School Disorientation December 16th, 2015 Souji helps introduce Laura Gerain to Alexander Academy along with a number of other Multiversal travelers.
The Cheese Stands Alone December 13th, 2015 Ziggy gets punished for almost knocking Inga over with a giant cheese wheel. Blurr and Staren are stumped. Hilarity ensures.
IFOS Interlude: Not Youkai, But... December 12th, 2015 Ren explains things. Things that mean bad news for Amarillo.
IFOS: Of Fire December 11th, 2015 Staren and Tomoyo go to investigate the site of Elvis' demise. What weirdness caused this all to begin?
The Fourth One December 4th, 2015 An initial examination of The Book of Unification.
And So You're Back From Outer Space December 2nd, 2015 ...So where HAS Sinon been for four months, anyway?
After Count December 2nd, 2015 An A-RAY named Akkinas offers pay for locating and securing ancient texts in a ruin plagued by a particular kind of monster: a Servant, unconnected to the war of Babel's Tale!
A Tome to Die For November 24th, 2015 Twilight and friends come seeking lost knowledge of the Jedi. But within the ruined Truuine Praxium, what awaits is not only the relics of the Jedi, but a legacy of the Sith - one that plans on making Twilight history.
Invaders From Outer Space: The Way November 21st, 2015 What is in Amarillo-8? Who is the mysterious message-sender who has asked the Union to come there?
TMatM:Artifacts of Black PT2, Come Clarity November 19th, 2015 The Artifacts of Black Rain have taken over Royce and are doing something to the weather system of the planet.

Elite response is swift, and the threat neutralized, only for another to rear its head.

HK-47 manages to kill Royce, and take three of the five artifacts with him as he escapes.

The Group November 17th, 2015 After meeting up with a new Persona user, various conversations happen over the radio bands. Among discussion of names and shadows, the Alberichstadt investigation team chooses what to call itself.
In the Shadows of Men November 15th, 2015 Melissa requests help investigating one of two locations in her world.
TMatM: Artifacts of Black Rain PT1 November 12th, 2015 The Ganemede is wrecked, the Lost Logia it was carrying, though once escaped, are now contained, but the Five that were most dangerous are missing, along with the archaeologist that hunted them down.

Strange things are happening. what, you ask?

FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON MAGICAL GIRL LYRICAL NANOHA: The Man and the Mission!

Dawning of the Ashen Sun November 10th, 2015 The sun dawns over Lordran once more, illuminating a new Anor Londo, a new ruler, and those that have come back from the brink.
Recuperation Operation November 8th, 2015 Amakasu's in the medbay -- Staren demonstrates VR training, and talks about his homeland.
Counting Up To Zero November 8th, 2015 The signal is tracked to an old Soviet bunker in Transylvania, and the man behind the curtain is revealed. Part two (and finale) of The Broadcast arc.
Sakura and the Purple Pentacle November 7th, 2015 Thirty minutes ago, Sakura Kinomoto disappeared chasing a mysterious man. Two minutes ago, Jean announced that every multiversal in world 865 would die. We've only got less than an hour to save the world...
This Is Only A Test November 5th, 2015 A mysterious signal breaches the Solomon Island fog and is doing who-knows-what in the process. Two groups investigate. Part one of The Broadcast arc.
Abstract Swordsmithing November 2nd, 2015 Amakasu needs a sword that's easy to conceal. Staren knows where one can be made.
Doom of the Very Soul October 31st, 2015 Welcome to (the abandoned ruins of) Boatmurdered! Don't get spooped!
Eels, Bugs, and Foxes October 29th, 2015 Hagane Town comes under attack, and it's pirates to the rescue.
Rarity's Scarousel Bootique October 28th, 2015 Rarity and Sweetie Belle (and special cameos!) hold a haunted house for Nightmare Night (Holloween!)
Sakura and the Wave October 24th, 2015 Some time after the seas begun receding from around Japan, Sakura receives a threat from the Purple Pentacle. With the help of the Union they head to the appointed place to face the organization down and secure her final card once again.
WoS: Cold Storage October 23rd, 2015 The forces of Harald Wolf-Lord have collapsed, leaving him vulnerable in his place of power. Those who have stepped forth to put an end to the madman have come... and discover as many new questions as they have answers.
She Who Would Inherit the Fire of Our World October 18th, 2015 The seekers of adversity have overcome their final challenge and gather one last time to peer through the mists of time, in order to rectify the mistakes of those who came before, and create a future from their last, desperate efforts.
Nemesis: Sub-Terra - Finale October 15th, 2015 As the Phalanx and the Cult of Nemesite converge on Alton Towers, the Union and Syndicate must do their best to prevent disaster.
He Who Would Bring Ruin to the Heavens - Finale October 11th, 2015 What was begun millenia ago finally comes full circle, as even in absence of the Lord Gwyn, his greatest nemesis, save the Dark itself, is finally slain.
Scion (2-2) October 10th, 2015 It's time to finish off Scion once and for all.
Scion (1-2) October 9th, 2015 The finale of the Brockton Bay plot.
Found (Part II) October 8th, 2015 Chatrinelle and Chatrilaine's memories are restored.
Nemesis Sub-Terra: part 2 October 5th, 2015 Investigation into the mysterious creature Nemesis- and its history- begins to uncover a disturbing background which may lead into yet more disturbing potents for the future.
Jack Slash October 3rd, 2015 It's time to deal with Jack.
Found (Part I) October 2nd, 2015 The first half of Mizuki and company's journey to recover Chatrinelle's wayward memories.
To Lon Lon Ranch September 26th, 2015 A trip to Lon Lon Ranch leads the heroes to the second Tear of Light, and a battle with Bulbins.
Storm Warning September 25th, 2015 Jack brings a large number of Slaughterhouse members to a mall, and they need to be dealt with.
He Who Would Bring Ruin to the Heavens - 1.5 September 24th, 2015 Routed with ease on their first encounter, those who would stand opposed to Kalameet prepare themselves for a second, and last stand against Lordran's annihilation.
Nemesis Sub-Terra: part 1 September 23rd, 2015 Ren has awful luck when it comes to picking places to go and have fun. But this isn't something that can be resolved in one adventure...
Returning Ilia to Ordon Village September 20th, 2015 Ilia is returned to her home, where the group learns that some of the children of the village were stolen as well.
Knock OFf EP3: Shattered Mind September 18th, 2015 With 'Miho' save. Rory, Staren and Kotone speak to her. Hoping to get some understanding of just what the heck happened to Miho. Or even if she is the actual Miho to begin with.
He Who Would Bring Ruin to the Heavens September 13th, 2015 The merciless winged death awakens as foretold, but plans of action are preempted.
Reviving the Spring of Eldin September 6th, 2015 The Spirit of Light, Eldin, is revived. Meanwhile, Noa and Staren investigate Forsaken Fortress and accidentally rise it from under the desert.
WMAT B1 Target Sparktail vs Staren September 6th, 2015 Target and Staren have their showdown in the castle located at the Devil's Hand!
WoS: Cold War September 4th, 2015 The Ramuh/Shivan War has been in a stalemate for nearly two months. Border skirmishes have yet to blossom into a decisive victory, and the Ramuhan army holds the line against the Shivan Confederacy. Blood soaks the snow of Shiva as a war that should've been short becomes a war of attrition.

Harald Wolf-Lord knows he is losing. He turns to his advisors with a plan forged of desperation, heresy, and brutality.

Operation Databreak September 3rd, 2015 A crack team of Confederates and Syndicates infiltrate a heavily guarded tech company in order to steal their prized AI program.
The First Expedition to Hyrule August 31st, 2015 Fassad leads an expedition into Hyrule, and the group learns the path to clear the Twilight from the land.
Dungeon: The Forbidden Wing August 30th, 2015 A team of intrepid students have discovered that the Forbidden Wing of the Kramer Memorial Library is more than just a rumor. What lies beneath Alexander Academy, and what do they seek to protect from curious students?
Dwellers of the Depths August 29th, 2015 Missing miners are found... And an ancient abomination too!
He Who Departed to Link the Flames - Part 2 August 28th, 2015 The end that everyone expected is far from the truth, as they meet face to face with the Great Lord Gwyn, but the work is done regardless.
Mine Your Own Business August 22nd, 2015 The Union ventures into a mine in search of lost workers, and run into a bunch of crazy, hostile, molemen.
Sinon Still Lives a Hard Life August 18th, 2015 After talking to Asuna, Sinon talks to a whole bunch more people.
He Who Departed to Link the Flames - Part 1 August 17th, 2015 The way to the Kiln of the First Flame opens. Expectations fall wide.
WMAT BQ2 Staren vs Alice Margatroid August 15th, 2015 After their losses in the first round of qualifiers, Staren and Alice Margatroid face off! Dolls and spellcards and magic lasers versus powered armor, missiles, and regular lasers! Who will triumph?
Cookie Cats in Manhattan August 10th, 2015 Steven is tougher than he looks.
WMAT BQ1 Staren vs The Bloody Crow August 8th, 2015 Staren meets The Bloody Crow in the WMAT qualifiers!
TMatM: Freefall August 3rd, 2015 Ainsley's world is full of magic, and none wield it more potently than the Metahumans.

One particular man, going by the name of Red Oil, has found the Scepter of the Typhoon, and has used it to take over vast swaths of the Greater Los Angeles area of the world.

With aid from Union Elites, the Scepter has been contained before it could cause a Dimensional Quake and cause further damage to the area.

Behind The Eyepatch August 3rd, 2015 The Maid Revealed
GGO: The Bullet of Bullets August 1st, 2015 The main event.
The Time, Part 2 July 27th, 2015 Sakura and Kaiba have a Duel over The Time, while the rest try to save Tomoyo and take the card outside of Kaiba's challenge.
The Time Part 1 July 26th, 2015 The Union enters Death-T, in order to try and reclaim Sakura's card, The Time.
Half A Space Hulk July 23rd, 2015 A bug hunt happens on the Callidus Amicae. Actual bugs may or may not be involved.
Magic Express Mountain July 20th, 2015 Everyone goes to have some fun, in the sun, at Magic Express Mountain!
Bar & Grill Philosophy July 19th, 2015 Bridge and Staren happen to wander into the Bar & Grill at the same time and talk.
Knock Off Ep1:Family July 18th, 2015 Kotone's cousin has been eager to meet the Flotilla for some time. She finally gets up the will to ask for a visit. The Flotilla is happy to have a guest and Miho gets to meet beings not of this world.
A True Utopia July 17th, 2015 Euphonia, Clive, and their world are inducted into the Multiverse.
Foundry Fracas June 29th, 2015 Molemen disrupt a facility exposition tour. How'd they get in there?!
Radio Mission: Arrest Burner June 22nd, 2015 An arrest warrant has been put out for Burner of the Hellions! Heroes new and old go to bring him in!
WoS: Cold Front - Ramuh's Dome June 8th, 2015 The Shivans knock on Ramuh's door, intending to breach a dome city and force them to retreat further. Many defenders assist Ramuh, and Tarl the Axe is captured.
Legendary Fight: Fight King June 7th, 2015 While exploring the desolate wilderness of Ohio, various people come across a weird colisseum...
Stage Multiplication June 5th, 2015 After some hard work it's time to celebrate.
Stage Fermentation June 4th, 2015 Staren, Rory and Lyria literally get their hands full when the Magnum Opus is in sudden peril!
Stage Congelation June 2nd, 2015 Staren and Pius have a talk, both gaining insight in their own way.
Monstrous Venom June 1st, 2015 Hana leads an expedition to gather monster venom, and the party gets a task to fulfil.
Legendary Fight: Evil Ocean May 21st, 2015 Environmental correction experiments lead to the discovery of just how gunked up the ocean is on Simon's planet.
Cold Blood May 19th, 2015 The second reagent for the Magnum Opus is gathered from a fierce fire breathing dragon that has terrorised the country side.
He Who Predates the Nature of the Soul May 10th, 2015 Desperately pressed for some form of objective, untwisted judgement, people seek the counsel of the Everlasting Dragon. Priscilla finds a piece of her race.
Bite May 7th, 2015 It's time to gather a tooth from a magical creature that does not eat meat. Pius and Diane get help from Twilight, Rarity and Staren (as well as Spike) in a complicated plan that involves lots and lots of glitter. And a pretty dress.
He Who Gave Us The First Death May 1st, 2015 The party returns to the above of the Gravelord for answers, only to find him in the middle of a grand plan for the future.
Operation Patient Sleep April 28th, 2015 The Council want something. And what the Council want, they get. Except this time.
MISSION: Ring of Thorns (2) April 21st, 2015 The Starbound Flotilla pursue the Ring of Thorns, an Avian pirate gang, along with a few of their allies... a bit more aggressively, this time.
And the Crowd Goes Wild April 18th, 2015 The appearance of a new World Raid Boss has the Gatecrashers scrambling to get the kill before other raiding groups can. But the appearance of a dark figure shrouds any victory celebrations with macabre horror.
Reboot Ep8: Ram Dump April 10th, 2015 The unknown system lay before the party, they uncovered the horrible truth of the place. It's been infected with Heartless. The party moves to clear out the central admin tower where more information is uncovered about what happened there. A program named Mcafee went mad and has let this nightmare lose upon the system.
Kotone on the Sunshine Coast April 7th, 2015 Kotone heads almost home to the West Coast of Canada, she gets some unexpected from the multiverse as she's looking out over the ocean.
On the History of the Multiverse April 5th, 2015 Nathan Hall expounds on some Multiversal history to interested listeners.
CatP - The Garden April 4th, 2015 Consequences are rendered visible.

The story draws to a close.

CatP - Finale II April 3rd, 2015 Hickory dickory dock,

The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, The mouse ran down, Hickory dickory dock.

CatP - Finale I April 2nd, 2015 The denizens of the catacombs make their last stand.
On a Crusade! March 27th, 2015 Pinkie searches for her Cutie Mark! THE HUNT IS ON!
Reboot: EP 6 Does Not Forget March 21st, 2015 With a ride in hand, and Culter's info? The party once more heads to the grid and locates Anon. He had quite a story to tell too and when all was said and done? A deal was struck but Turing had encountered ... something horribly wrong.
Reconstruction Blues March 15th, 2015 Yari Takane leads construction efforts in Freeport. Union, Confed, and Unaffiliated alike arrive to help out!
The Shadows Cast By Flame March 9th, 2015 A test run of anti-Abyss measures encounters the final missing adventurer, and his piece of the truth.
GENESIS: Riva Banari (Of Inspiration and Perspiration) March 8th, 2015 Riva, Kirika, and Eleanor go to the Homeworld and engage in a Genesis Drive to bring a new Abstractum into existence.
Reboot: EP 4 Down By the Bay March 6th, 2015 The Party heads down to Argon's docks to meet up with a contact. They get some interesting information out of a program named Cutler? However they encounter a creature that has no right being on the Grid, which raises some disturbing questions.
AWftF: Getting Better Acquainted March 5th, 2015 Allo meets with potential allies for Reptilon's situation.
Mission: Field Equipment Recovery March 3rd, 2015 A perfectly normal mission to Odin in order to recover the remains of a field camp that went dark. Welcome to Odin.
Hecate February 28th, 2015 The Gatecrashers meet Sinon. Bullets are fired. Lots of them.
AWftF: The War for Reptilon Begins February 28th, 2015 Kakarot's army of Neo-Saiyans has initiated an attack against Genghis Rex's homeworld, Reptilon. The Confederacy, Union, and Red Ribbon Regiment respond.
CatP - The Past February 27th, 2015 A group of people take a trip into Mizuki's past.

THIS SCENE IS SO LONG AHHHH

Eulogy of the Abysswalker February 24th, 2015 The sojourners to Priscilla's world encounter Sif in their hunt for a method of traversing the Abyss.
Reboot: EP 2 In the Ruins February 20th, 2015 The party heads to Arjia City to seek out more ISOs they luck out but a commando team sent by Tesler is hot on their heels.
Industrial Flight and Magitech February 20th, 2015 The Starfleet Flotilla and its constituent members come to visit Souji Mirasame to negotiate the addition of some heavy lifting to their techno-adventure commune. Capitalism intensifies.
Automated Assassin VII February 5th, 2015 Kotone is targeted by the seventh of the Collective's mysterious assassins.
Automated Assassin II January 30th, 2015 Staren is targeted by the second of the Collective's mysterious assassins.
Those Sacrificed by the Sealer January 29th, 2015 Priscilla's group ventures down into the ruins of New Londo, both learning and confronting the reason it was sealed long ago.
Sweetly The Piper Played January 28th, 2015 Investigations lead to the location of Joe Slater. Questions are answered and answers are questioned. Chaos ensues.
Naval Combat! January 20th, 2015 An Elvari incursion on Port Darwin, Australia
Obstructed Fate January 17th, 2015 The same night as the Union Elites are accepted as guests of the Einzbern family, they begin their plan to rescue Irisviel and Illyasviel from being used as tools in the Grail War. With allies on the outside securing their exit, and preparation for just about everything, there's no possible way this can go wrong!
Understanding Isn't So Easy January 15th, 2015 Visitors show up to Pinkie's safehouse to talk. The clown does not smile.
The Fatal Flaws of Fire January 13th, 2015 The third Lordsoul must be retrieved from the ruins of Lost Izalith. Past kindness is repaid, but Oscar's party is wearing thin.
Arlequine and Trottumbina January 11th, 2015 The source of the Laughing Dead is found. She is not very funny.
A Spark In The Cold January 11th, 2015 An attack on a town in Shiva involving extraversal forces creates great unrest, and might provide the spark some might desire to fan the flames of war...
Project Sunray 2:The Enlasering January 6th, 2015 XCOM is still researching and iterating their Laser tech. Some designs show promise, others, not so much. Time to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Enter Space! Rock Lee becomes Comet Lee with Burning Passion! January 5th, 2015 Rock Lee goes into space!
The Assassin's Council January 3rd, 2015 In a castle owned by the Einzberns, just outside Fuyuki City, various people assemble to discuss how to save Irisviel and Illyasviel von Einzbern from the machinations of a magus family.
The Candy Sea January 3rd, 2015 Some conversations are held regarding how to prepare for the inevitable...

... featuring some cute on the side with Kimiko and Melody.

CatP - Polarization December 23rd, 2014 A mission to steal a number from a city in the sky.

Mortal Frisbee ensues.

Krampus Kapers December 21st, 2014 Raven gets hired to stop the Krampus! She winds up needing to recruit some help.
Last Days of the Dark Sun December 16th, 2014 The Union can tolerate Gwyndolin no more. Its intrepid members stage a brave assault on his inner sanctum to quell the threat once and for all.
Operation Morbid Chant December 16th, 2014 Aliens invade Munich in Germany. XCOM + others go wreck face.
Automated Armament II December 9th, 2014 In which teamwork is lacking, but somehow the day is saved. Mostly?
Madara vs Zwei December 8th, 2014 Zwei tries to take a Target Zone for the Union, with Staren's help. Madara shows up to defend it. Or maybe he's just looking for a fight.
Another World December 6th, 2014 Deelel along with Kirito, Staren, Zephyr Windstar, Auron, Aqua and Reker. Go to check out a location noted in a recovered part of Deelel's memory, what they find aside from a heartless in a very bad mood, is Deelel's home world of the Grid. Thanks to Aqua's Keyblade the world was restored from whatever had locked it away and now the Grid is exposed to the Cybercore.
The Title Passes On December 2nd, 2014 Everyone checks out the duke's archives, then blue-boys attack.
Library Adventures Pt. 2 December 1st, 2014 The library: More exciting than expected.
Dungeon Run: Sector Three vs. Fire Bombers November 30th, 2014 Prince Landon al Cid invites basically everyone to his private box to watch one of the local professional sports events: Dungeon Run! Ensue mostly no one watching the game in favor of politics and multiversal information sharing.
Library Adventures Pt. 1 November 29th, 2014 Simon's memory is fuzzy, and the books in his library might help restore enough of it so that he can get a job and support Marceline. The problem is that his library is back on his post-apocalyptic world, and he isn't a fighter. Enter: The heroes.
SGRUB: Return to Worst Land November 25th, 2014 Description pending. (Sgrub TP)
Little Student Lost November 24th, 2014 After happening upon the multiverse and finding himself hopelessly lost, Quentyn Whitewind is rescued by an unlikely figure. Lucatiel of Mirrah is hardly a knight in shining armour...
CatP - Reverberance November 22nd, 2014 You may through forbidding province tread,

but by dreamer's hands be softly lead.

The Span November 18th, 2014 Galianda has appeared. The curious few arrive and see something wholly unexpected.
Deep Breaths November 16th, 2014 London. Downtime. Tacos.
TP: Endbringer: Leviathan November 14th, 2014 The Endbringer named Leviathan attacks Brockton Bay.
A Technological Exchange November 13th, 2014 Staren wants Zwei's Raiser technology. But what knowledge could he possibly trade for it...?
The Grandfather of All Magic November 13th, 2014 All fragments of the original Lordsouls are required to succeed Gwyn, but Priscilla makes it her personal mission to claim Seath's first.
Assault on Heaven's Gates November 11th, 2014 Shanghai's gate to Paradiso is destroyed.
The Deeper Darkness November 8th, 2014 A trading post in the Underdark is mysteriously abandoned. Unlikely allies come together to find out why.
NODE: Game of Souls E03 November 7th, 2014 Node scene. Oh, and the Dark Lord is a woman.
Valley of Discord Creation November 4th, 2014 Noble Six decides to create a Node, to further the battle against Them.
Grand Theft Lotus November 2nd, 2014 Deckmaster Earth gets visited by some Confederates looking for very specific loot: the rare and powerful(?) Black Lotus. ...Card.
Site Recon October 31st, 2014 Newfoundland. A small fishing village. Noone has entered, or left the area for several days. The local government sent in a recon team to find out what was happening, who went dark.

Strike Two deployed to find out what happened, and this, is their story.

The Ghost of Stingy Jack October 30th, 2014 Who is that selling pumpkins. Who dies? Who lives. You get what you give - you get what you give - you get what you give! (TSW Halloween, part 3 of 3.)
NODE: Isle of Tales - First Look October 28th, 2014 Mizuki, Kimiko, Staren, Homura, Priscilla, and their Abstractum become the first visitors to the Isle of Tales.
You Get What You Give October 23rd, 2014 The story, has three layers, to hear dearest Andy tell it. He'll leave out the bit about his urine-soaked pants. Surely, he will. (TSW Halloween, part 2 of 3.)
CatP - Azure Reverie October 18th, 2014 The group moves to recover the number eleven.

Things get pretty complicated.

Easy Pickings October 17th, 2014 The Mariage lay a trap for Elites
Spooky Stories of Solomon Island October 16th, 2014 Once upon a time, there was Stingy Jack. Heaven and Hell barred their doors. Be careful how many lanterns you gather. Never know what you're guiding in out of the dark. (TSW Halloween, part 1 of 3.)
CatP - The Skyward Mirror October 9th, 2014 Adventures at the bottom of the ocean, and a not so chance meeting with a Sheep.

When we come back: a confrontation with an artist. Er, well, -THE- Artist. You get the idea.

A Funny Thing Happened To Me On The Way To The 4RAM October 7th, 2014 The multiverse has lots of games and systems for playing them on. But getting them can be an overwhelming experience when catboys, roboticists, ponies, and shinki get involved!
Ice Cream Social October 7th, 2014 As a reward for completing Al Azif, Ruri invites everyone for ice cream. ARTHUR IS KIDNAPPED!
Digging Deeper October 4th, 2014 Henry Hawthorne tips those off with additional information that might lead them to new secrets behind the history of Kingsmouth...
The Secret of Ponyville October 2nd, 2014 Bitter Medicine, a dour Alchemical Exalted, visits Ponyville. Where's the grimdark?
The Trotting Dead October 2nd, 2014 Where even the dead laugh, only more questions arise.
Yad Lamron A October 2nd, 2014 Arabian Nights shenanigans happen.
Completely Random Scene OF DESTINY October 1st, 2014 Fox Metroids, E-tanks, & Pinkie Pies. Also a Random MtG game breaks out.
Master of Arms versus Master of Earth September 29th, 2014 After some radio bickering, Toph and Armsmaster seem fed up with each other and decide to up the ante in the Ring.
Twilight talks about her phobia. September 27th, 2014 Bats are scary.
Slice of Life September 27th, 2014 Another page is on the loose, and this time Black Lodge sends one of its stronger Anticross after it.
NODE: The Game of Death 2 September 26th, 2014 In Vruasa's Node, things go from harvesting resources to encountering a high-Shift Pure, all the while he discusses castle decoration with the game master.
Chasing the Dream September 25th, 2014 Having learned the Doctor is looking for malevolent red flowers to turn Mimiga into his personal weapons of death, our heroes rush to the sand zone hoping to get there first and put an end to his evil scheme.
CS3. A Walk in the Park September 23rd, 2014 Our adventurers convince King to release Sue, then find Kazuma within the Bushlands. As they learn more about the Mimiga and what has happened in recent history, they begin to realize that there's a lot more involved than just a missing research team.
Autumn Celebration September 23rd, 2014 Now that Dun Realtai has finished its preparations for the winter, its people throw a celebration for all to attend.
NODE: Kingdom of Discord - The Second Search September 20th, 2014 with a better idea of what to look for, Fayt, along with a few friends, decides to search the Kingdom of discord Again. What they find is... interesting.
NODE: Isle of Tales - Creation September 19th, 2014 Mizuki creates a node.

She and Welcomes should totally start a book club or something though, seriously.

All The Sugar Ever September 14th, 2014 A familiar face shows up at Sugarcube Corner for some sweets!
NODE: Game of Souls - Episode 2 September 11th, 2014 An investigation crew climbs the Archmage's tower, while another team handles a raid of players led by a powerful trio.
See You, Chuck... September 9th, 2014 Mizuki suspects John is inside Staren's head. She dives into his dreams to Initiatiate Investigation Protoc@! AND IF YOU GO CHASING RABBITS!@!#^%#! Staren finds he's mentally time traveled to before the Tolkeen war. He must prevent it -- but as if getting anyone to listen to a little kid wasn't hard enough, there turns out to be far more going on than %#@ Pleased to meet you. I'm the message. I want to help#_!@%######See you, Chuck...
The Battle of Stoicism September 9th, 2014 Though Sen's Fortress lies conquered, the Union have allowed Oscar to be (perhaps rightfully) the Chosen in place of one of their own; a choice which will most definitely bring benefits and consequences yet unforseen. As the Union's last hope of entering Anor Londo, their champions must compete in the tournament of the ancient gods: The Battle of Stoicism. Her, phantom fights phantom to the death over and over again until a victor emerges, being granted honorary passage to the city of the gods for their skill at arms. Remember to bow!
A Hunting We Will Go September 6th, 2014 Lila and Amalthea go shopping... and WOLKENRITTER ATTACK! And then... GIANT ROBOTS!
Morality in Absentia September 5th, 2014 A bunch of Elites gang up on a poor, helpless librarian.

Now, the part you didn't see: the helpless librarian was defended by a bunch of possessed books with swords. And an elite level knight.

It's Always 3 AM... September 5th, 2014 The Orochi Group's Solomon Island science team asks for a group of brave souls to discover the source of what's mutating the local undead into hulking brutes. The truth is much worse than they initially feared.
Magic Practice September 3rd, 2014 Shirou encounters an entirely different sort of magic.
Fortress of the Ancient Gods September 3rd, 2014 A suicidally brave team of Elites tackle the hallowed grounds of Sen's Fortress, only to find Oscar and his companions have gotten there first.
Cave Story 2: Seeking Sue September 1st, 2014 Our adventurers learn where Sue Sakamoto might have gone, and advance into the unknown in search of her.
Mysterious Assailant August 26th, 2014 The Union investigates the attack on Nanoha's mother. Nanoha, and her Confederate allies, investigate as well.
Spelunking 101 August 25th, 2014 HUZZAH! Our adventurers arrive and meet some of the odd denizens of the Flying Island
The Graveyard of Memories August 23rd, 2014 A hunt through the library to find the elusive Arch Curate.
Elemental Judgement August 22nd, 2014 "Adventurers" are called upon to aid the troubles of Gridania, in the way of protecting some Conjurers while the preform a purification ritual to the Central Shroud.
The Needs Of Many August 21st, 2014 Several people from the Union and other locations come down to help with the troubles of the city-state of Gridania.
Gonna ave a Par-TAY! August 18th, 2014 Pinkie and friends set up a carnival for people to attend and have fun! Of course things don't always go right.
Both of the Opened Ways August 16th, 2014 The party returns to Blighttown, making payment owed to Quelaag of Izalith for use of the bell. And learning the reasons as to why she needs Humanity.
Evolution of the Species August 16th, 2014 Investigations in Kingsmouth continue. The local Orochi Group research team asks for a problem to be solved. Explosions occur.
A Night in Fennmont August 14th, 2014 Jude Mathis invites fellow Unionites to visit Fennmont.
That Local Flavor August 13th, 2014 Trying to find the high ground for a look around brings our heroes nothing but draug and misery.
Advent of the Kingseeker August 12th, 2014 Having rung both Bells of Awakening, Kingseeker Frampt awakens from his slumber to elucidate the fate of the undead.
GENESIS: Kotone August 9th, 2014 Kotone has asked Staren for an Abstractum -- Noble Six volunteers to perform a Genesis Drive. Staren and Fayt also have an experiment to run with protoabstractum.
More Like Culture Electrocution July 31st, 2014 Inga gets a helping of delicious exposition. Her head doesn't explode. Progress!
Dawning of an Endless Night July 31st, 2014 Strange interference turns out to be a signal, leading a group of Elites to discover a strange new world... with old, terrible dangers.
A Lesson About The PTO July 25th, 2014 Raditz gives a brief tutorial on the PTO, and it goes slightly awry.
Wartok Bandit Camp Blues July 23rd, 2014 Drakkan is attacked by an otherworldly menace - a Borg Cube!
WMAT B3 Staren vs. Sakura Kasugano July 19th, 2014 The boy genius fights the martial arts prodigy!
Node Reconfigurement July 19th, 2014 The Homeworld's Nodes are reconfigured; a short interactive cutscene sequence where the Nodes and their users cause substantial changes, populating the Homeworld with various inhabitants and environments.
The Eternal Voyage: Chapter One July 17th, 2014 Leviathan done got whipped, and a certain girl and her seagull butler(?) found a home. Doesn't get much better than that.
The Nature Of The Soul July 16th, 2014 Priscilla invites her allies to the newly lit Firelink Shrine to discuss future plans and catch people up.
A Brief History of the Saiyan Race July 15th, 2014 Raditz gives a brief history lesson to Staren and Twilight.

They probably won't like what they learn.

We All Float Down Here July 14th, 2014 The Cult of Laughter has been skulking around the underbelly of Star Harbor and Twilight needs them ousted. But to do so means delving into the depths of things that should not be...
Fixing Up Cameron July 13th, 2014 John enlists the help of Staren and Toph to help fix up Cameron after her WMAT fight.
WMAT A2 Ainsley vs. Theo Morrison July 12th, 2014 Ainsley versus Theo Morrison in Round 2, Bracket A of the WMAT!
FRAGMENT: Second - Retrieval July 11th, 2014 Several Abstractum Users head to Unshift Space to recover the remains of a second Fragment.
WMAT B2 Alicia T. Harlaown vs. Staren July 8th, 2014 The second round match between Alicia and Staren.
O Tanabata July 7th, 2014 The youkai are upto no good, trying to capture Orihime and Hikoboshi! Seimei, the Union, and the Confederacy intervene.
Lofty Ideals July 7th, 2014 Sir Bedivere of the Round Table, formerly of Camelot, now of the Union, leads a relief expedition high into the snowy mountains of the Multiverse. It's a treacherous winter road, and the threat of highwaymen and Confederates is a constant one. Whatever will this expedition of mercy find?
Glowing Blood. July 4th, 2014 At a secluded military outpost, Crona is spurred into action to murder soldiers. It doesn't take long for the Union to muster an effective defense. But in spite of the corpses they left in their wake, it soon becomes clear that they might not be the only victims in this scenario...
Unwound July 3rd, 2014 Mizuki and a myriad of multiversals attempt a tea party, but are beset by icky shadow fiends! A ghost of Mizuki's past appears, threatening all! It would appear that this is the start of another tale of ludicrous battles and dramatic speeches! Watch as reality becomes Unw~~oun~~d!
Pilgrimage Through the Mad City July 2nd, 2014 Several members of the Union escort a young woman and her bodyguards through Undead Burg, but it does not go as planned.
Defense of PA-N51 June 27th, 2014 The very generous but mysterious "League of Rule Companies" submits an urgent, last-minute contract and gets a wide variety of Elites answering the call.
WMAT C1 Maya vs. Procyana June 26th, 2014 WMAT match Maya vs Procyana, Rainbow Dash commentary
WMAT B1 Staren vs. Vendetta June 24th, 2014 It's Robo-cat vs Robo-dog in this first-round WMAT B-bracket match!
Smiles Get! June 23rd, 2014 Pinkamena makes her debut in her greatest capering attempt to bring down House Moon and Star. But can she pull it off?
Innsmouth Beach Party! June 22nd, 2014 Ruri Hadou has decided to reward Ariel and Al by sending them and a few allies to the expensive Innsmouth Resort! Nothing bad will happen, surely!
Manehattan Murder Most Foul! June 21st, 2014 The Multiverse's keenest minds are called by House Moon and Star to discretely look into the killings of a squad of royal guard.
Manehattan Madness June 20th, 2014 A familiar clown shows up in a Manehattan park and silliness ensues!
NODE: Game of Souls - Link Start June 19th, 2014 Kirito and companions embark on the first foray into the Game of Souls Node, meet with the Lord of Shadow, and decide on a course of investigation.
The Long and Winding Road: Finale June 18th, 2014 Beautiful Rose Petal, Promethean of the Galateid Lineage, has become human. This is the story of her transformation.
Upload September 20th, 2012 Staren believes he's finally found a way to conquer death. But it relies on mind-transferring technology which must be tested first...

Cutscenes

CUTSCENES, CLICK TO EXPAND
Title Date Scene Summary
Opportunity (Staren) December 11th, 2016 In the wake of Njorun's fall, Staren knows what really matters to him. And in the next few days, the League sends an odd pair coached to recruit him...
Side Effects part 2, or I've Got a Better Idea (Staren) September 13th, 2015 Staren prepares to fight the cataclysmic dragon.
Irreversible, or Two Hours (Staren) September 25th, 2014 When all else fails to prevent death in the first place, Staren has a way to reverse it. But the truth is, that his tools are far more limited than he would like.
Dreaming of an Endless Night (Staren) September 5th, 2014 TRANSMIT - initiate cephalopod signal - RECEIVE - innate cutle-ink frequency -
The First Time I Died (Staren) March 3rd, 2014 Staren is woefully underprepared to fight LUCHA KOOPA and pays the ultimate price. Fortunately, he was prepared for that. Or was he, really...?
The Second Gauntlet Pt. 0 (Staren) June 15th, 2013 Staren prepares to study the secrets of Abstractum technology.
The Greatest Gift for Staren (Staren) December 25th, 2012 Staren reflects on his past and a Christmas gift greater than any he could have asked for.
Side Effects (Staren) October 28th, 2012 Body-swapping doesn't always go smoothly.
Immortal (Staren) August 22nd, 2012 Staren has his immortality at last. But what will the future bring...?
Plague Dreams, or I've Been Working Too Hard (Staren) March 17th, 2012 Astonishing developments in the latest threat to the Multiverse. Or, just a silly dream sequence.

History

Born in 93 PA (equivalent to 0 AU) to a dimensional traveler from 20th century Earth and a shapeshifting alien who abandoned her people's magical traditions to study science, Staren was raised in the Free City of Lazlo, city where humans and nonhumans of all kinds live in harmony as long as they can tolerate eachother, a bastion of knowledge, hope, and freedom in post-apocalyptic RIFTS Earth. In those early years, the family traveled often — before Unification, Staren's father would take them to other dimensions and to see his grandparents on the baseline Earth he'd originally come from. With access to myriad worlds, they were able to find cybernetics that were compatible with supernatural physiology and so Staren was enhanced, given the edge of a built-in computer that his parents would have loved to have.

Though little Staren inherited great intelligence, he grew up a loner, not by choice but due to great social awkwardness. His constant companions were stories, games, and academic knowledge. Stories told of simplified people, with well-explained motives and feelings he could follow and understand. Stories told of clear-cut villains and bright shining heroes, and he idealized the latter, taking to heart the tropes of good and its contrast to evil. The physical world and the world of numbers followed well-explained rules with definite truths and right answers, and he soaked up knowledge of math and science like a sponge. Games presented worlds following well-defined rules and used them to /tell/ stories, letting him use his mastery of such systems to feel like a hero, and would in time lead to actual piloting simulations.

After a few years of schooling led to misery due to altercations with the other children, Staren's father pulled him out of the system and homeschooled him — as a retired adventurer and part-time mechanic, he had ample resources to live in comfort with the necessary free time. Staren's academic talents proved that of a prodigy as learned as an expert decades his elder, and he developed a special interest in computers and automation. In time, this combined with his interests in simulated mecha piloting to lead to a focus on combat robotics, but Staren was poor at innovation. In addition, he was a certain kind of lazy — his father's resources, including a large 'laboratory' complex below the house (for the most part, a large storage area equipped with repair and assembly drones, computers, rooms for experiments, and compact fusion reactors) — allowed him to adapt to little physical work — in time, more and more of his improvements were implemented by drone rather than his own hands. Though he could repair machines to work better than they had before, and made improvements to the VF-1 Valkyrie design his father had obtained in another world, he was stumped when it came to developing something wholly new. Science and engineering followed steps — but what steps do you follow to 'invent something new'?

So the young boy's genius produced little. He took some classes with the Lazlo Defense Force, and to support his interest of heroically defending the city, his father trained him in Valkyrie piloting and, in perhaps Staren's greatest true 'invention' at the time, Staren developed new control software to interface between his headware and the robot, allowing him to control it as naturally as his own body. The resulting skill was undeniable, and before even reaching his mid-teens he was accepted as an LDF reserve member — although due to his specialty of mecha piloting, he was never called to work in the city, instead being sent to help fight monsters threatening the farms in the vicinity of Lazlo.

Some years after RIFTS Earth unified, Staren learned of the new multiverse and this great organization of heroes, the Union, that would even accept the help of underage allies like himself. And perhaps there, he would find friends he could relate to, rather than 'normal' teenagers and adults who just didn't get it. At the age of 14 in early 14 AU, He joined up and began meeting new people, some he could even feel friendly around, although at times his social awkwardness and belief that magically returning the dead to life was a good idea put people off. He hit it off well with his fellow mecha pilots in the Wings of Nemesis, and became a member of the Union's first-response mecha strike force.

The multiverse offered much to learn. Staren was aware of the basics of magic, of course, but had never gotten around to further study. He decided to change that, studying potion-brewing under the dragon Damien and golemancy under the great mage Iianor.

At last, in the Multiverse, Staren had friends. Maybe not really close friends, but people he could spend time with and talk to without annoying on a regular basis. He was even able to find someone who wasn't just friendly, but actually seemed to understand him: Morg McGee, undead 'mad' scientist. The mad genius even agreed with his views on raising the dead and had ways to do it! At last, he had someone besides his parents who he could talk to about anything and know he would be understood.

The Multiverse was a world of possibility, full of potential friends, something the lonely boy had been without all his life.

That changed with the death of his commander, Julian. The idea of reviving his fellow hero stuck in his mind, although the Union ordered him not to. He and Morg tried to communicate with Julian's spirit, as they believed only Julian himself should have final say over his own resurrection. Their fellow elites treated this as some sort of disgrace to Julian's memory, even while they themselves rejoiced at random static as some sort of communication from the dead. This behavior would drive a wedge between Staren and the Union that would shake his trust in the Union for years. Julian turning out to still be alive was a good thing, but no comfort on this matter.

Further misunderstanding worsened the rift between Staren and the Union, proving his fears justified again and again. In an attempt to be better understood and be helpful, he often spoke his train of thought out loud — thoughts and ideas that others, perhaps, thought his mention indicated serious intention to pursue them. Every misunderstanding reinforced the idea that the Union mistrusted his ways of thinking, and that it was only a matter of time before he crossed a line and was declared an outlaw. He sought to prove himself useful, but any praise and acceptance he recieved was not as loud as the voices condemning him.

Sure, he had a few 'friends', but aside from Morg, could he trust any of them to remain so if they ever comprehended what he really thought? Were they only friends because they hadn't heard him say the wrong thing yet? Of course, he couldn't ask them that, for in doing so he would probably turn them against him.

At last, Staren met another kindred spirit in the ex-Confederate Rewire. Taken in by his life story of only wanting to fix things and only joining the confederacy to rescue his friend Taro from the clutches of SHODAN, and finding a friend who did not reject his thoughts, they became fast friends. Or at least, Staren thought of it that way — in truth, the cold and calculating AI simply found him a useful ally for its plans. But Rewire had a problem — The Confederacy had damaged him, and he was going to go rampant. This seemingly unavoidable, Rewire sought to leave behind a legacy and to have friends prepared to destroy him when he finally lost it. Staren accepted this tragic duty, but preferred not to think about it. For now, he had a friend — and things had a way of working out in the multiverse. Good always prevailed, right?

Rewire's preparations for a legacy and lack of social understanding won him few friends and many enemies on both sides. This only further reinforced Staren's split with his supposed 'allies', although Optimus Prime won his eternal respect for offering to work together with Rewire, even though Rewire refused the given terms. Unfortunately, time was running out. Rewire began to go rampant. Staren developed weapons to kill his friend, but hoped there would yet be another way.

But things did not always end in happy endings in the multiverse. Another friend of Staren's, not as kindred a spirit as Morg or Rewire but at least someone he could spend time with, found that an earlier version of her own world had unified — one where her father had not yet perished. Staren made it a personal mission to save him. Investigation with his futuristic technology discovered that the man worked in the organized crime department of the police, and as the day of death approached, his original fate became clear. On the day, Staren hired a team of mercenaries and personally intervened — only for a Confederate to show up, mortally wound the man, and leave him in a coma for the rest of his days. Sometimes, there were no heroes. Sometimes there was only Staren, and without far, far more power than he currently had, he would not be enough.

Staren would not be enough to save Rewire, either. Post-rampancy, Rewire renamed himself Wireless and hatched a scheme to 'fix' everyone in the multiverse by uploading their brains to a simulation where he could /make/ them happy. Furthermore, the process was faulty, only capturing part of the subject's mind — and not enough to capture their soul. Wireless's attempt to save people was an act of mass murder that would have been mass mind control even if it had worked. Talks with Wireless revealed that his rampancy had made him lose all comprehension of the importance of right and wrong.

Staren helped kill his friend with weapons he developed.

Staren could not help friends. He could not help one of his /best/ friends. The war was endless and meaningless, and as far as Staren knew his 'allies' could turn on him at any moment. Not even bothering to officially resign, Staren alternated between spending time in Lazlo and exploring the far reaches of the local Sector.

Occasionally, Staren still listened to the Multiversal radio frequencies. They were sometimes entertaining, but sooner or later he was always reminded of the Union's attitude toward him. He found some understanding, at least, in the Thousand Dreamers. Friendly Dreamers were willing to listen and offer help, although none could turn Staren's situation around. Untamed Breeze heard him out and came to understand what he meant with his strangely-worded philosophies and ideas, at least.

In late AU19, Staren heard a voice on the radio that not only was not angered at his manner of speech and thought, but seemed to intuitively grasp what he was saying without reading for messages that weren't there, and who spoke honestly and frankly to him in turn. This was the voice of Twilight Sparkle, and seeking another friend that could actually understand him, who he didn't have to worry about accidentally offending or misunderstanding, Staren made increasingly frequent visits to Equestria. Friendly Dreamer Mortimer Balman had retired there, so Twilight wasn't the only friendly face.

In fact, almost all of the ponies of Ponyville seemed friendly. Staren had become an asocial shut-in in his own world — his mechanical and piloting skill were valued, but he earned few friends. And now, Staren was at last learning to avoid hot-button topics when talking to people. Combined with the Ponyvillians' naturally helpful and friendly disposition, the net effect was that the ponies were the first large group of people Staren met without pissing them off. This far outweighed the inconvenience of hooves and the low technology level, and Staren wanted to fit in and, somehow, to return this kindness to the first place that so warmly welcomed him.

He got his chance when Discord, incarnation of chaos, turned Equestria upside down (sometimes literally). His talents were ill-suited to sealing seemingly-invincible reality-warping beings, however — the most he could do was help prevent Discord from acquiring resources from the rest of the Multiverse. Only to see his knowledge and ethics prove useless to protect his new friend — cursed by Discord to believe her friends (in truth also cursed to behave against their natures) had turned against her her, Staren could do nothing to stop one of his most treasured friends from being forced to live the worst nightmare that had haunted him for so many years. Heroism had failed again, Staren had failed again, and completely and utterly heartbroken, turned away from the world.

But only a week later, he learned that Twilight and her friends, had been freed. Staren returned to the fight against Discord, but could only slow and delay the draconequus until the local heroes could reseal him. But this time, there /were/ heroes, and the day was saved.

Before Equestria could recover, the entire multiverse came under attack. Confederate Emperor Viridian Sunrise had done what he could not — unlocked the secrets of the multiverse and used its power to enact his own vision of the future, with power even the Union could not fight. Heroes volunteered for a suicide mission — Staren stayed behind, convinced there /had/ to be some sort of better, smarter plan.

Staren failed to innovate again. The corpses of longtime friends turned up, and he at last confronted the true meaning of death — He would never see them again. The model of the future in his head had to change to not include them. Shaken, he swore never to let this happen again — although it might well be academic if the Emperor was not stopped.

The corpses turned out to be a ploy — the elites on the suicide mission returned alive, the Emperor slain. The heroes /had/ triumphed after all, this time. Staren was relieved, but did not forget his promise. He planned to look for clues in the pieces of technology Wireless had left behind — he would restore the brain uploader, fix its faults, and in so doing unlock a way to conquer death.

Then a new world unified where brain uploading was commonplace and death, true death, was a scarce and horrifying thing rather than just another part of everyone's life. In fact, in this world immortality was seen as a basic right, and one of its denizens happily offered the gift to the Union. A completed, successful device was clearly superior to incomplete Wiretech, and Staren set to studying it, analyzing it to learn how it worked, making sure there was not a catch, no secret mind control programming hidden deep inside. Staren and his parents got their backups as soon as he was sure it was safe, began growing clones, and so claimed a form of limited immortality — Not perfect, not foolproof, but far better than nothing.

No others would accept this gift. One day, people would die again, for real. And he was still powerless to stop it.

But now, there were things he /could/ stop. Earth-1960 was infested with zombies, and a megalomaniacal AI was cloning mercenaries to take over the world's economy. And while helping put a stop to that, he learned of the plight of the gamers trapped in Sword Art Online. There, too, he could help.

Slowly, Staren was drawn out into the Multiverse again. There would not always be heroes, and he would continue to prepare for the day they failed to arrive, but in the meantime he would help them when they did.

And a few days before Christmas of 20 AU, everything changed. Psyber, Kimiko, and Himei, Unionites Staren had had occasional contact with but not really those he would have called friends, came forward to tell him that the Union did /not/ see him as a barely-this-side-of-ethical madman who would go too far any day now. The ones who had given Staren that impression were merely a particularly loud and vocal minority.

It was a Christmas present even he would never have dreamed of daring to ask for.

Though it was merely his perceptions that had changed, Staren found himself in a bright new Multiverse! It would take time to truly trust his allies again, but he didn't need to fear them so.

Things were looking up in 21 AU. Staren had immortality, he had the respect of his peers, he even had a girlfriend. He was helping others, and began to find phenomena in the multiverse that rewarded scientific exploration like the punchcard alchemy of Sburb. Halfway through the year, he decided to study the mysterious Abstractum and in so doing netted himself Eureka, the genre-shifting gauntlet of SCIENCE. Abstractum would prove a field highly responsive to scientific investigation, and between Eureka, Morg's divine inspiration for the construction of impossible devices (Staren's old friend had ascended to godhood many years prior), the nanotechnology that granted his immortality, and his wide assortment of other technology and magic gathered from across the worlds, Staren's confidence began to grow, confidence that he at last had the power to be a hero that could save the day when all other hope was lost.

Eldritch monstrosities from outside of reality coming to end the Multiverse? Yeah, we got this.

That all changed with the coming of the third month of 22 AU. Amongst the looming threat of the Abstractums' enemies, going back in time to finish a closed time loop, and the kidnapping of one of Staren's allies to turn her into a war machine, the dimensional rift over Ravnica, and the cosmic horrors that came out of it, had seemed like just one more crisis that would be dealt with handily in time.

And then Niv-Mizzet sacrificed his Planeswalker's Spark and disappeared through the rift, closing it behind him, never to return from the all-consuming Aether and almost certain doom.

And Staren could not save him.

Once again, tragedy occurred with no hero to step in and stop it. Nothing Staren could do would make it better, and the claims and excuses that 'there was nothing you could do' rung hollow in his ears, for such words would not return Niv-Mizzet to his friends and loved ones, and they would not stop the /next/ tragedy, whatever it would be.

Staren was not the hero that steps in and makes the world right when all hope is lost.

Not yet.

He still needed more power...

After that, Staren had been part of more successes than failures. He'd helped save worlds, and when called for (and perhaps also when not called for) had brought extreme force of arms to bear, even spending a week as a sleepless robot hunting the clones of the Slaughterhouse Nine, and constructing a protoabstractum superweapon so powerful it blew a wing off the Dragon of Calamity, a being of legendary and godlike power.

But after having allies mistake his brutal methods for bloodlust, and seeing a reminder that sometimes, talking can end conflicts and spare lives, Staren began to wonder if there was another path...

In late 24 AU, the Multiverse reshaped itself and the Union and Confederacy fell. With the endless war finally over, Staren could focus on improving the Multiverse rather than endless fighting. He joined the League of Progress, and later the Concord, finding their approach to the Multiverse suited him better than the Union ever did -- letting Elites turn their full abilities and resources towards improving the world, without hamstringing them by insisting on upholding the status quo. At long last, he's found a place in the Multiverse.

Now to solve its infinite problems...

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