Toa Levacius Zehvor

The main issue is that there's better ways to present that information. Tying it into the main body of the RPG, in a way which doesn't break the flow, is essential. If your opening paragraph handwaves canon events, they're dead and gone, and you can now expand your RPG. Perhaps, until you take into account that your quirky mini-boss squad is likely to constantly interrupt the plot and keep the Lost from accomplishing their primary objective. Plus, when you have player battles on the scale of what you're describing, it's quite likely to last for a very long time. In that case, I retract that argument. Apologies. There's a way out, and based on your description of the Shadows, a way back. NPCs, maybe even PCs (perhaps you could allow one or two players to make a PC with this experience, to keep them from wandering through Vezonland too long?), could have escaped from Vezonland beforehand, and brought back information about the Multiverse. That provides a way to explain things without meta-knowledge. And as I suggested, it's better to keep "Multiverse" as an overall "Settings" category, with "Vezonland" being the only one described thus far. You must realize there is a major difference between a mystery RPG and an RPG which has mystery. Every story needs to have unknowns. They need not even be hard to guess ones. Further, any information which does not enrich the story serves no purpose, and should be removed. In this case, the socio-economic conditions of Spherus Magna are more relevant to the story than how Spirit's Wish was created; one is a driving factor for characters to flee their old lives, the other has no effect on the plot, save for explaining why we have one. And frankly, that doesn't matter. To continue using Trapped in a Map- do we ever learn how the Map was made? Or why? There's a lot never said, because it doesn't need to be said. It doesn't affect the characters in any way. How the Carver acquired the Map is known, because the one who sold it to him is in the Map; the only thing which is given from the start is the Mask of Namevision, which I used as a character motivation because, hey, why not? The difference there, of course, being that the Carver and his equipment could at least be hinted at; there's no way to determine how the Wish was created. Some things don't need to be known. Some questions don't need answers. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

They may be the same people, but you're still dimension hopping, and you're still leaving people behind. The people on the other side are not the same people as on the side, because the dimension you came from, and all of its people, still exist. Yes, but they're not the one asking. You are. And you're leaving people behind, unless every single person would leave - and they wouldn't. Not every group would want to use it. Some might wish to study it. Others destroy. So on, so forth. Unless the Wish can just telekinetically drag people through, there would be There's a huge difference between wanting to relieve mystery and handing out meta-game knowledge. I'm not exactly good about that myself, and self-awareness tends to give a new perspective on these things. The point is, the player shouldn't know more than the character does. Especially since some players, especially new ones, will attempt to incorporate that knowledge into their characters in some way (again, something I can attest to having been guilty of in the past). Show, don't tell. Too late through the Gate, that is. The way I interpreted it, the Gate had transported too many people, and instead started chucking people into Vezonland. Or is that incorrect? And regardless of how much information you want to give, it's not necessary. Only information which is known or needed by the characters should be provided. I'd recommend, then, that you simply utilize a simple "multiverse" heading rather than the "Settings" one, with some sort of explanation of the multiverse at large, followed by Vezonland, the only alternate universe explored thus far. You sound fairly sure about how the group dynamics will form. From experience? It never works out as cleanly as you expect. In any case, unless you're going to start allowing players to kill each other off, having the Shadows be PCs just kills off dramatic tension - better to have pursuers fall under the "GM controlled, murderous NPC" category. Sorry for the brevity of discussion, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. Good luck working. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

There are a two things which make this difficult to believe. First, people tend to have suspicions against things like that, and the vast majority are more clever than they're often given credit for. Responsibility is another factor, and regardless of whether or not the people on the other side are "real", they're still not the exact same people, and you are still leaving people behind. Most people wouldn't just "swap in" their friends and loved ones just for a little happiness. Indeed, it's not that they're too proud to enter, but that few people are so self-centered that they would cast aside their entire life for a quick one-up. Second, there's the matter of authority, which requires some adding onto the war-related subject Silvan brings up. If a device like that popped up in the middle of the States, I'd give it maybe two hours before some agency carted it off to never be seen again and cut it out of the media. And based on portrayals of Mata-Nui, Matoran governments are even more paranoid, and much better prepared to guard the thing. Someone in charge would either block off access to the Wish, or destroy it, before things went too far. Other groups might opt to fight over it. High chaos would be a best case scenario. Now, with regards to the RPG - As much as I enjoy some good backstory, I don't think it's appropriate to the RPG, and takes away from any kind of "mystery" element. Don't tell us about how this universe differs from the canon one, because really, there isn't much of a canon for after the Battle of Bara Magna (and that which exists is often disconnected, and tells very little about anything aside from a couple of characters). It would be better for you to simply present the Gate as a mysterious relic which was discovered, without detailing how it was created. Knowing this, rather than state objectively what the Gate does, describe how stories about it grew, and how the locals came to understand it as some sort of ticket to paradise, and the social repercussions of such an object supposedly existing. The characters, rather than being just people who came too late, are instead presented as having been screwed over. Vezonland, like the Gate, shouldn't be explained. It's simply a bizzaro-dimension which Vezon just happens to inhabit. The Shadows certainly shouldn't be playable; it just adds another thing which needs to be explained, taking away from yet another mystery, and further serving to divide the players up, rather than keeping them together. I've certainly noticed that, over the last few contests, fighting has generally been out-shined by role playing in any case, so there's not much lost there. And really, considering how different everyone would be, leaving conflicts as natural results of opposing personalities seems a much better option. On a related note, you can drop the multiverse, up until the point when players manage to find a way to escape Vezonland. And don't just hint at the cave - give options. Should players pursue a cave? Or try killing Vezon? That sounds like a much better way to form groups than multiple factions to me. Letting it happen naturally and all that. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Fourteen posts until the pain goes away. Do you think the player-base is large enough to support that, at the moment? Unless you intend to keep players together on their quest, it just seems like a way to spread everyone thin, and eventually deflate the RPG. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

From observation, the current climate consists primarily of players who depend quite heavily upon their game-masters to provide structure to the story [insert vaguely political joke here]. Assuming the switch in format does as promised, and brings in new players, it's possible that we might see a resurgence in a greater number of proactive individuals attempting to take initiative (don't quote me; if a current GM can shoot me an example to the contrary, I relinquish the point). That said, while a heavily GM controlled story may be feasible (assuming the GM is capable of constancy), I agree with you that a "scripted" story is a recipe for disaster. Railroading is cheap in the best case scenario. To further elaborate upon the RPG itself - The RPG, as it is at the moment, is incomplete. First off, from a writer's perspective, I recommend against employing such heavy use of the second-person with regard to the characters - especially when writing from an unlimited, OOC perspective. Your point of view can be a powerful tool in prepping an RPG, acting as an easy way to distinguish between in-game knowledge, and in-game mechanics or rules. On a similar note, your RPG topic should provide only information which is new or changed. If Toa are now four-armed monsters, that's changed If you're providing lore relevant to an underdeveloped species, that's new. In City of the Dark, it's primarily the latter which applies. Alternatively, you can utilize a species list with regards to the local culture (Toa will be treated far differently in a Toa/DH War RPG than in a Destiny War RPG, after all). I recommend you remove it. Now, on a lore note, Toa in-story are transformed as a result of having residual Toa energy within them, which is activated through the use of a Toa Stone. If transformations are random, there needs to be a reason for that (note: change). I would recommend removing that entirely. Further, a thematic note on the masks - they're not random. The mask a Toa wears is meant to be a reflection of themselves in some way (ex. Tahu acting as a shield, Gali being bound to the ocean, etc.). Characters from RPGs doesn't really work. People reuse characters frequently. I apologize for mostly focusing upon the mechanical notes, rather than the narrative itself, but at the moment the RPG is really too incomplete for me to comfortably analyze that. The big things you need, though - gameplay/rules, a profile form of some kind, something which details the physical setting, a hook at the opening (optional, though barely), and more detail where it counts - devoted to the story and characters. Final note - Everything which is "meta" (pointing out plot points, hinting at the future blatantly, and the like) should be avoided like the plague. It breaks immersion, and takes away from the professional feel. That aside, I'm not put off by the basic concept, and can see a lot of potential if the right changes are made and more time is put into it. I look forward to seeing what you come up with later down the line. Cities, really. Cities in time, cities in the dark, cities underwater, cities under cities, cities that swim, cities that fly, cities that skydive (note: somebody needs to set an RPG on a spaceship city which is only twelve hours from crashing), cities in volcanoes, cities within cities, cities that are also guns, cities that are also cities, city civil engineers, cities that go on for too long, and regular cities. It's a matter of practicality more than anything else. Cities keep the plot tight and focused, and the setting manageable but diverse. Anyone not setting their RPG in a city better have darned good reason these days. -Toa Levacius Zehvor :Flagusa

Lucky that today was a "check BZP" day. So I'll give it to you straight - this sounds more like a "Mafia" game than it does an RPG, as of the current moment. The action of a TBRPG plays out in-topic, to ensure that everything is tied together as a coherent story; while letters and the like may appear via PM, especially with the GM being involved, the majority of events shouldn't be kept behind the scenes. That being said, I'm not completely adverse to new ideas. If you're going to throw in "Mafia" ideas, go all of the way. Having simply characters who are infected and those who aren't can lead to quite a stagnant setting. Throw in your "Detective" and "Medic" style characters who can either help out or deal with the infected, once they get suspicious of a person. All sorts of special characters, really. Have the setting done in such a way that characters have motivation to split up, and utilize the environment as best you can. An old, trap-infested ruin of the Great Beings, perhaps? It would certainly explain any mind-control aspects. If you haven't already, I'd suggest watching "The Thing" for ideas. One thing which comes to mind immediately is the number of infected individuals at the start - just one. Depending on the number of players, of course. Final note - I'd recommend piecing together your main plot and setting before working on game mechanics. Think of it like the special effects in a movie; they help tell they story, but they aren't themselves the story. If you wish to utilize this mechanic, or any really, do so only if it enhances your telling. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Don't have the time to play one, let alone run one. Not at any level which I'd consider acceptable. Might post a few reviews during the contest, but that's it. So down the line, I'm afraid.

IC: Seldron / The Undercity / Chained Keep After a moment of quiet, Seldron gestured, saying, "Yes... I'm sure you do. Well, if what you're here for is pay, standing here is hardly the most effective strategy." "Watcher," he said, directed at Mar. "Escort her to the vault." Again, to Kaiota. "There should be a case waiting there for each job. The old treasurer should be more than capable of withdrawing yours. And once you're done, return quickly... I have a job for you. And far greater pay at my disposal than the common dealers in my employ." -Toa Levacius Zehvor

OOC: Absent far too long.. IC: Seldron / The Undercity / Chained Keep Seldron looked at Mar closely, a look of confusion on his face. "Do I know you?" he asked, before giving a closer inspection. "Oh, of course. You're one of the Watchers we brought here... word of advice? Speak to the Dealers in the future. If this were anything but a party, the cloaks would have already be swarming us." Looking to Kaiota, he said, "Though I suppose that is not of any concern to you, is it? I apologize, but with my Dealers handling most of the assassinations, it's becoming harder to keep track of all of our business." IC: Vailarin / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse The singer was quick to crawl up to the recently broken window, peering out and seeing the group that had gathered. They weren't exactly trying to be secretive, so she found a good place to listen in. She motioned for Kelko to follow. IC: Romaln / The Undercity / Outside Artahka's Alehouse As the other discoursed, and Romaln gave a private laugh to Kotanna's comments, his eyes scanned the area. Just in the corner of his good eye, behind one of the alleys, he saw a hooded figure leaning against the alley - one who didn't realize he knew; not yet. Interrupting the others, he asked, "Naona, do you happen to know if we ever captured one of the dealers in the scuffle earlier today?" OOC: The Catcher sent out here. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

IC: Romaln / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse Romaln turned to face the newcoming Skakdi, his eyebrow raised as he did so. U pon seeing her, though, a wave of recognition hit him, and his thick white beard moved to the tune of a grin. It was rare to meet another of his colleagues in the Undercity for a purpose other than simply pummeling the residents, but he knew Kotanna to be one of the few who seemed to actually give a 'karz about the residents. Fortunate, then, for her to show off. "No need to defend this one, Kotanna. Our friend here has quite the record, just from this nights testimony alone. Resisting arrest, destruction of public property, and battery, just to name those which I would write down." "Don't forget public intoxication." the Vortixx replied, rolling his eyes as he did so. "No 'karz, one of your buddies gave me a beating for that after dragging me out of a bar." The Wolf pinched the back of his captives neck on just the right pressure point, forcing him to keel down and go down to his knees. Having more than one person at eye-level in any given moment never really worked for him. "More importantly, he can lead us to the Chains. Up for shutting down some slavers?" With the appearance of the mysterious grey-cloaked figure, he nodded his head and asked, "So, you're the one to give this scarabax a good thrashing? Congratulations for that. Civilian assistance is far too uncommon, and unappreciated when it does occur. Since you insist on the mask, you care giving us a name, stranger?" IC: Vailarin / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse The singer watched as the swordsman walked away, tapping her finger on the bar for a moment. Once he stepped outside, she immediately sprung to action, rushing over to Kelko and shaking him. "Hey, wake up! You here this? They're going to bust a full-on gang! Come on; get up; we need to hear all of this!" -Toa Levacius Zehvor

IC: Romaln / The Undercity / Outside Artahka's Alehouse "Then let us hope she has the people to organize." he replied. Turning the Vortixx captive to face him, he asked, "Any suggestions you'd like to make, Xitak." "Just don't put me on Cell Block 15." the Vortixx said. Pressed by Romaln's stare, he elaborated. "I kidnapped the warden's daughter, so I can hardly expect good meals. Plus, it's far too easy to spring prisoners from there. It's important to challenge ones friends." -Toa Levacius Zehvor

IC: Vailarin / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse "I've never been up top myself, not that many have." the singer replied. "But... I've been taken up to the Lock." She left that thought to linger, as she began to take note of the cops and even an Enforcer milling about. "Something big is going down, isn't it?" she noted. "Take a group this big, and there's usually at least one cop being paid to capture vigilantes for the gangs. And the ones you fought... those aren't common thugs." Looking about, she came to a realization, snapping her fingers. "Oh, you're working with them, aren't you? Like in the Ballad of Brutaka, when Lariska shows up to save the team and joins them in freeing Miserix, even though she was a Dark Hunter. But you're obviously not chasing Makuta, so... what?" IC: Romaln / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse "Unless my memory is failing with age - which it has not yet - that name is not the Chief's." the Enforcer noted. He also noted that Naona did not appear entirely there; something was distracting him, though he could not identify what. After a moment, he asked, "How aware is the Chief of the state of your department?" -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Similarly, I've been out for pretty much the entire (long, but fun) week, and am also back. Expect posting to resume tomorrow. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

IC: Romaln / The Undercity / In Front of Artahka's Alehouse "As is necessary." Romaln replied, taking the Vortixx and dragging him aside. The other advantage of this enemy was that they were still completely awake. The Wolf made certain that the Vortixx got a good, hard look at the unconscious Skakdi; something for him realize just what would happen if he were to cause trouble. He led him to one of the alleyways and threw him to the ground. "Are you part of the Chains?" he asked the Vortixx. "Well, I'm certainly wearing them." A heavy punch, cracking the black mask. Romaln gave a sweep of his hand, knocking it off and onto the ground. "Of course I'm part of the Chains you emotionally disturbed Mahi! And you... I know you. You're the one they call the Wolf. Yeah, the boss said you've been causing trouble. Said a few of our operatives have been found dead in the streets since you showed up." "And so, too, have Demons been spotted. What of it?" "Those mystical Matoran fairy tales? As if. The only Demon we have to put up with is an Enforcer who doesn't know their place. I give up a good part of my pay to keep you lot off our backs, and yet here we are. Do you realize what happens when this gets to either of our employed?" Romaln said nothing for a few seconds, staring - not in confusion; simply an emotionless gaze. Finally, he said, "A simple criminal should know better than to accuse the Enforcers of accepting bribes. Doing so is treason. The penalty of treason, under Spherus-Magnan law, is death." The cloaked-figures eyes went wide as Romaln raised his Scepter. The closed as he swung it. They opened again a few moments later, when he realized the Enforcer had stopped short. "Fortunately for you, the Police want you alive. And while your Skakdi friend was my capture, you are simply a hand-over. However, there are things far worse than death, and such things may be inflicted if you refuse to talk. I will be asking you a few incredibly simple questions. With luck, even your simple mind will be capable of yielding answers." Silence. But only for the moment. "What is your name?" "The Black Tunneler." the Vortixx hissed. "Nothing has ever worked on me twice." Romaln gave a dry and dark chuckle. One of the few things which truly amused him was these gangsters ridiculous names. "So this is simply another addition to your ongoing list of romp-beatings? Interesting." The look his captive gave was a stunned one, pledging death. Not that he could back that threat up. "I think Xitak will work better for our purposes, of course." he continued. The Vortixx was taken aback; the world Romaln had chosen was a quite old anti-Vortixx swear, and a powerful one at that. Derived from Old Matoran, conversations with the word Piraka used casually could erupt into fight with such phrases tossed around. "So, Xitak, tell me - how many members are in your little gang?" "That depends on what you mean." he replied. "Around half of our number are just regular watchers as guards. Then you've got your dealers, maybe ten of them? Then there's us - around a score, but I've only met... maybe eight. The Catchers." "And your base?" "Hmmph. I don't know." Romaln punched him once more. "Okay, okay. Maybe twelve? You've got the boss, a few Catchers on break, maybe some Dealers. And the boss" The Vortixx neglected to mention that, at the current moment, a very special event was taking place, with easily twice as many people. The thought made him giddy inside, though he was hiding it well. "You don't stand a chance against Seldron." the Vortixx said with a laugh. "If you try to act against the Chains, you'll all be dead. The Enforcers won't help... the police. What's one Enforcer and a few cops going to do?" Romaln shook his head, chuckling once more. "Get more cops. Still, your information is quite invaluable... save that it's missing a very important piece. Where is the base?" "What exactly am I getting out of this?" "Your legs. Depending on the cops, a shorter sentence. Perhaps even isolation. I've heard interesting things about what happens to jailed slavers." "Okay, okay. Point made. You know the Lurker's Web, right? To the south?" "Of course. Your point?" "It's there. We call it the Web of Chains, of course. Boss likes it when things match like that. It's in the very center... not that you could find it. Not without directions." The Vortixx gave a dark, knowing smile. "Of course, directions can be false. Get you lost. But a guide.... you can keep pressing a willing guide. So long as that guide has a good offer." Romaln just stared. --- A couple minutes after that, he emerged from the alley with the Vortixx, and approached Naona. "This one can guide us to the Chains. But we'll need more... a lot more. This one estimates a dozen; I say fifteen. How many trustworthy cops can we gather up? Because we'll need a lot more for this than that last raid." -Toa Levacius Zehvor

IC: Romaln / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse "An interrogation. What else?" -Toa Levacius Zehvor

OOC: So time should be starting to readjust itself right about now... IC: Romaln / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse "More importantly..." the Enforcer said, bringing the Skakdi locked up in "Enforcer handcuffs" (i.e. dragging him by his spine), "We need interrogations. I'd suggest keeping this one asleep; the same goes for the Toa. Beings with powers are too unpredictable to make a field interrogation efficient." "The Vortixx, though..." he mused, walking over to Naona. "That one, I can use. Hand him off." -Toa Levacius Zehvor

IC: Tuleron / The Undercity / Burning Building In the flickering dark-light of the burning building - a mighty display, and the main thing which caught his attention - Tuleron stared. His eyes narrowed, as he began inspecting the site of the disaster. This flame, it was not something of natural origin. Stone did not burn like this. Metal did not burn like this. The air reached through his mask. It was not meant to smell like this. "Either the gangs have gotten awfully efficient," he pondered. "Or they have finally entered the main city. Which means my search is almost over..." He was cautious. Though he had not seen the fleeing Volin, and the building was mostly burned, he quickly figured that whatever did this could not be far away. Though he very much wished to find and capture a Demon, being surprised by one was far from the top of his priority list. The pursuit if power was meaningless once one is with the Great Beings. No tracks. No marks of blood or anything left. The creature, much like the building, was gone. Having figured that, so, too, was he; back down the alleys, and far away from where the police would inevitably arrive. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Romaln was fighting the De-Skakdi, who did in fact run out (or, rather, charged out), so that might have been a source of confusion. Though that fight, like Firen's, has been tied up. We're just waiting on this Vortixx to be taken out. We do have an NPC Toa of Iron to assist in all of this, so that could make him easier to get rid of. Unless he gets shot or something. That being possible, I give a pre-emptive, "Alas, Fe-Toa, we knew you well." In any event, I find this turn of events to be quite amusing. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

IC: Vailarin / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse The singer shook her head at Kelko. "If he wasn't already drunk, I'd dissuade him from that. This slimeball bartender likes leaving watered-down swill on the counters... but right now, I think this one might need something a little light." "Still, as important as a sign or name is - and I'll think of one - that's not all. No tale's complete with a list of accomplishments. You've been helping with the gangs and all, but what about the Uppercity? You for the whole 'steal from the rich, give to the needy' thing? 'Cause that lot, they're worse than any gang. I... can personally testify to that." Putting that memory aside, she slammed her fist into her palm and said, "Yeah, there's a lot of honest folk who wouldn't mind seeing someone give those lot what for. And dishonest folk. Pretty much all folk, really. You get what I'm saying, right?" -Toa Levacius Zehvor

IC: Vailarin / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse "Well, it's my job." she corrected, casually swiping something off the table to fall on (she reckoned, based on where her hearing pinpointed his voice was) Kelko's head. "Just like the bards of old, I collect stories, and write them into songs. And there are two things very wrong with what you just said - yes, it's working, but it's not distinctive. Enforcers kidnap or beat up people all the time, and gangs target each other even more so. You need something... flashier. Like a giant letter carved on the wall, or a giant flaming bird on the ground!" "And the name, well, that speaks volumes... hmm... well, you don't talk much. And you wear grey. The Grey Silencer, maybe? No, colors are a cliche... hmm. The coat, perhaps? Nah, that's terrible... Maybe something in Old Matoran? Like a single word... preferably something that's easy to rhyme, just for simplicity's sake. Maybe just your real name, that could work!" -Toa Levacius Zehvor

IC: Vailarin / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse "Well, it's hardly a rumor if it's true." she replied, still sitting and watching. "See, when you frequent as many places as I do, you start being able to tell what's true and what's not. Once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence. Three times? That's a story in the making... a song just waiting to be written." "Still needs a few finish touches, of course." she mused. "Your modus operandi is about as refined as Old Keterko's discount protosteel, no offense, and a name... well, every hero needs a name, masked or no. You thought of one yet?" -Toa Levacius Zehvor

OOC: So now we wait for what the others do with Chain #3... IC: Vailarin / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse The singer showed the same excitement from before. "Oh, we're fine." she replied. "Well, I am. He's drunk. But this is a bar, so that's understandable... say, who are you, anyways? Wait... hold up, I think I do know you!" Quickly, she threw herself up onto the bar, where she sat. Pointing, she continued, "Yeah, I'm certain of it. It was last week, I think. Saw you pummeling some drug-smugglers on the west side. Which definitely makes you the one all of those lowlives keep complaining about. Coat, hat... creepy visor. I told 'em you weren't just a rumor!" -Toa Levacius Zehvor

OOC: As far as I can tell @Krayzikk. The only thing identified about them is their danger level, which is roughly "3 Cloak = 2 Enforcer", going by Seldron's sheet. IC: Vailarin / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse "Ooh... who's this one?" she asked curiously, watching the two Toa duel in the midst of the bar. "Two cloaked figures dueling in the midst of a bar fight? Now this one will be a story..." IC: Romaln / The Undercity / Outside Artahka's Alehouse The Skakdi dodged another attack from Romaln, who in turn ducked out of the way from another pair of impact vision blasts. The Wolf raised his Scepter, releasing his Howl directly into his adversary. The Skakdi put his hands up to his ears from the pain and stepped back, wincing for a moment; after only a short time, however, he returned to normal. He would have grinned, if his face wasn't locked in a permanent one. "Sorry, old man." the Skakdi said, laughing as Romaln dropped his weapon. "But this isn't a De-Toa you're facing." The spine-back released another blast of impact vision. Romlan turned, but the beams weren't directed towards hitting him; they were a distraction. Another force-pulse knocked him back, and though he braced for it, he couldn't hold onto the Scepter, which went flying out of his hand. Now they were both disarmed. His enemy pressed the advantage, charging into the Glatorian; the clear height advantage did not seem to bother him. How wrong he was. A punch was quickly thrown, but Romaln quite easily grabbed the Skakdi's wrist; with that, he swung down, flinging his adversary into the ground. Before the Skakdi could recover, he moved to a swift stomp on the throat... ... only to be thrown off by a blast of impact vision, which hurtled him away. Thankfully, to the same locale as his Scepter, which he quickly grabbed. He stood, to find the Skakdi doing the same... and with longsword in hand. The grin was wider now. Blade in hand, the spine-back charged; a pulse of force energy, and he was off, blade in hand... Romaln raised his arm, projecting his wrist-shield. He swung his Scepter. The blade connected. The Scepter connected. The entire street was met by a brutal scream. The Wolf's head shook as the Skakdi fell to his knees, the intense pain of the Scepter's power causing his entire body to convulse. "What... what did you do?" he cried out. Romaln replied simply, "You'll live." OOC: Romaln's out for a bit, as he waits for time to catch up. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

IC: Vailarin / The Undercity / Artahka's Alehouse "Not my bar to dictate." she replied with a shrug. "Though I wonder where that slimy replacement bartender ran off to? Probably scared off, the bleedin' lava rat..." She reached into her pouch and, a grin quickly crossing her face, slid the quarter widget from before to where she had placed the bottle. Let it never be said that she stole from honest folks. Or dishonest folks, seeing as the former was virtually nonexistent. EDIT: OOC: And now I am glad to not be involved in the demon sub-plot. For now. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Even if the heads of government can't be bribed, I was getting the "if you're an Enforcer, odds are 50% of your paycheck is coming from other sources". It certainly lends to the corruption factor. -Toa Levacius Zehvor