Riot in the Underground

Background: So, after reading up about a particularly famous series of games of Dark Heresy, a pen-and-paper game taking place in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, I got to thinking: isn’t Negav a whole lot like a Hive-City? It’s got stacked tiers of varying sizes, with higher echelons of society living in the upper tiers, while the poor are left in the Underground to scrounge, scavenge, and steal to survive.

Suggested Players: As this will be taking place in Negav, giant predators are out of the question. Beyond that, you’re free to do what you will so long as nobody is capable of ending a fight effortlessly.

Tone: Grimdark. This is going to be a dangerous exercise in survival. I’m potentially darkening the portrayal of Negav a bit to make it even more treacherous. If you thought the jungle was dangerous, just wait until you’re being chased down dark alleys by maddened humanoids howling for your blood, and then coming up on a dead end. As such, unless you are really confident in your abilities, be prepared to use lethal force.

Introductions: For your first post, give your name, description (if you so choose) and whatever additional information is immediately important. You may describe your equipment (armor, weapons, gadgets) now or later, but don’t pull anything out of your ass whenever it becomes convenient (unless that’s your whole gimmick, I guess). Also, naturally describe what you do.

If you have any suggestions, say, because you have experience in this kind of thing, tell me if there's any way I can improve.
---

Something is off in the city of Negav. You can hear the distant crack of gunfire and the rumble of explosions even from the Higher Tier. The audiocasters hidden about the area remind you of what got you up here in the first place:

Any able-bodied adventurers are asked to report to the Isolon Fist Headquarters, located near the Office of the Ps’isol Magiocracy and the Isolon Eye.

Right. You don’t have much to go on, but hopefully the police force will enlighten you when you arrive, if you choose to respond to the summons immediately...

May i reserve a place in this RP? i have a character almost completely developed, it just needs a few tweeks here and there. i should be ready by the time others fill in.

I think I found a use for Gildor, or Lucius... >:3 Hey Zephyr, just tell me if Lucius seems too powerful for this sort of thing. If he is then I'll use Gildor.

Lucius:

Gildor:

I wish to join! tell me if you need more info let me know ^^

Jurin Laen,

male Tomthumb short black hair, eyes dark blue almost black, and is 3 1/2 inches tall.

wears a black scarf that covers the bottom half of his face.

He has a sword that is 1 1/2 long that is coated in a numbing agent (so people can't tell they were cut and hopefully bleed out before they realize). He has two grapple mechcanics on both his fore arms. carries four vials of poison that paralyze people for 7 minutes but must be ingested and takes 10 minutes to take effect (feel free to say thats too much) He has a magic gem on his belt that serves two functions 1. increases his agility and speed to that of neko 2) it summons a raven made of shadows it carries him silently places but is also intangible to anything but him so it can't block bullets or blows for him. His gem can also only be used for a certain amount of time before its drained and leaves him vulnerable to attacks.

(sorry if I explain too much about gear I just wanted to make sure they were okay with you ^^)

May I join as well? Minnacchio seems like a good fit, and I've been meaning to put him to use more. :33 I hope his bio will suffice?

Spoiler:

You're all free to join and use the characters you have listed. I'm going to wait a bit before getting seriously underway, for any possible additional players (trust me, you'll want friends).

If at all possible, I'd like you to also describe what you actually do in response to the summons. The first post has you positioned in the Higher Tier already, but if you'd like to start from a different location, such as, for example, the Lower Tier, where all the adventurer-oriented shops are, that's fine as well.

---

Commander Kamlon was understandably ill at ease. Any squads in the Underground had failed to make a report in the hours since the first disturbances, and what communications had gotten through were less than reassuring. A few volunteers had fallen in thus far to bolster the five squads present (plenty more were setting up perimeters below to contain the spread of violence) to turn the Isolon Fist into a mixed force more capable of striking deep into the heart of the Underground, as was becoming increasingly necessary.

"We still need more..." He muttered. People were dying Underground, and he didn't have the manpower as of yet to do anything about it. All he could do was wait.

(You're so creepy, Zeph! What's up with that Signature? XD I hope you don't go and give me nightmares playing this thing.)

Minacchi was already in front of the building the person on the speakers had specified. The Isolon Fist Headquarters. He unlocked the rods on the inside of his cloak and pulled down his hood, revealing himself and his mask-less face to the world. He had to assume they'd have some kind of detection system in place so people couldn't use invisibility to just waltz right in, and if he were to be caught doing something so scurrilous, he might very well be held suspect. He wasn't sure yet whether or not he wanted to go in though. He didn't know what he would be signing up for if he did. The gunfire and the explosions coming from within the city were troubling, both in what they could mean for him if he stepped up, and what they could mean for him if he didn't. So there he stood, just outside the building in the middle of the street, pondering and staring up at the structure before him.

"I hope Nina's safe."

Jurin was watching this cloaked Footer looking at the Headquarters for the darkest shadow he could find. For once Jurin didn't know what was going on, he made a habit of knowing all the facts before trying to make any sort of move but all the activity lately had forced his hand into acting prematurely. He hated all Footers (his racial term for people who aren't tinies) so they could all burn in the fires they made for themselves for all he cared. Unfortunately though Pelnepi was in Negav. If the whole city went down his people would too, so here he was waiting for another Footer to go in, so he could follow in on thier tail,and have a less likely chance of being seen before he felt like revealing himself.

Lucius walked up to the Isolon Fist Headquarters and was disappointed to find someone already there. The half-celestial had hoped to be the first one to reach the intended target building. The only thing that showed his slight disappointment was a small twitch of his black feathered wings. His Greatbow was slung across his shoulder, along with a quiver filled with black feathered arrows. On his hip was a second quiver, along with a morningstar and two smallish pouches. He gave a single friendly wave to the man that was already there.

Ivan was walking. He wasn't an adventurer, but he was walking. Just an man, yet he was going were the voices told him to. they told him to report to the Isolon Fist head quarters, so he was on his way. Sometimes the intentions of the voices were hard to interpret, but he always listened, and why wouldn't he. He rarely thought about those things. Why wouldn't he. Simply put, he didn't dare ignore them. He tugged his hood down a little tighter over his brown hair, and smiled. Perhaps this time the voices would get him a little food in his stomach for the work they asked of his. He doubted it, as he was still little more then ashy skin stretched taunt over a gaunt frame, but hope could always keep you warm. His dark brown eyes flickered back and forth over the other denizens of negav. They had food. They had food, and they were soft. It would be so easy to just take it from them. Take their money too, and their nice clothes, and if they struggled, take their lives, but what then? he would live in comfort, yes, at least until the owners of the voices found him. Then he could be given the eye, and thrown out were living was even harder...Let the well fed ones pass, he would get his deserve for the years of work some day, for now, follow the voices, "report to the Isolon Fist head quarters" .

Since none of you are actually going to enter, and it seems nobody else wants to join up...

---

Modes of communication abounded in a city as cosmopolitan as Negav, which made the (figurative) silence coming from the Underground rather disturbing, and things were going to get only worse from there on, going by the spells being set up by the Isolon Fist battlemages at every known entrance and exit of that trackless hole. This was the news Cortus Astralier had to bear to Commander Kamlon or some other available higher-up. The grey-cloak barely noticed the handful of various individuals standing near heavy door as he pushed by and through the heavy swinging doors, so engrossed was he on completing his task.

Compared to the University of Magic, the Isolon Fist Headquarters was rather utilitarian and straightforward in design, using a simple series of painted lines on the ground to point to the most important locations: white for Central Hall, red for the Armory, green for the Surveillance Room, and yellow for the conventional soldiers' Barracks/Mess. The red-furred Neko took to the white line, making for where the temporary center of operations had been set up when it became apparent the unmarked Situation Room didn't have the capacity for handling a crisis of this magnitude.

Thankfully, the Commander was easy to find in the center of the chaos.
"Commander Kamlon, sir!" Cortus snapped a quick salute before diving straight into the report he had to confirm was delivered.
"High-powered one-way magical barriers are being set up at every known entrance to the Underground as we speak, sir. Even the strongest mages from New Chargate would struggle to get through, but they also cloud the area in static, so we cannot communicate with anyone inside now unless they yell from the other side of the barrier. The free mages and communications specialists are trying to find a workaround."

'Far from ideal, that' thought Kamlon, but he didn't say as much. "Carry on, Cadet. Either get back to your CO or make yourself useful here."
The aspiring battlemage saluted once more, and dashed out, hoping to get back to the Forward Operating Base as soon as possible.

Kamlon rubbed his chin as he took in the countless flashing 3-D displays showing wireframe maps of zones where hostiles still had a shot at getting through to other sections of Negav. One by one, the red pulsing lights were replaced with a steady blue as the barriers went up, signalling some small modicum of control had been restored. He turned to the five waiting mixed squads. Outside the standard 2 battlemages and 8 regular soldiers, including the Captain, each now had a strength of at least 13, though he had his doubts about some of the volunteers...

An unusually bulky Neko with a light machine gun and spare boxes of ammo strapped everywhere,
a dark skinned woman in leather armor with a large shield and two spears and a pack of javelins slung over her back,
and and a green-scaled reptilian... man(?) with funny-looking punching daggers strapped to his forearms were just a few that stood out. None of them really had the look of professional soldiers that the Commander loved, but he couldn't afford to be picky.

Minacchi couldn't take the waiting anymore. As an actor, he had to be confident about his roles. He had to believe that what he was about to do would be good for his city. So he entered. He took the shadow of a distracted neko who passed by him and entered the building behind him. It was lucky he came along, too; Minacchi wasn't quite so confident he would have been able to open the doors on his own. Afterwards, he followed the neko following the white line, not really having any idea where to go from there. He hoped he wouldn't get in trouble for that, though it probably wouldn't be too much worse than not getting into trouble at this point.

He looked around the area; drab, unimaginative, colourless (except the delightful lines on the floor). Everything he expected it to be, which was rather disappointing. But he supposed it made sense considering what the place was meant to be used for. Upon arriving in the central hall, Minacchi became even more lost than before. He had no idea who to talk to about being of use in whatever was happening in Negav. He didn't know anything. And without his mask, he felt far too insecure to ask anyone.

Ivan waited outside, shrinking back even further into his cloak, trying to make his withered body less conspicuous than it already was. All the people were making him self conscious and nervous. What was going on inside their heads? did they know what to do? did he miss something the voices told them, and was now lost? He backed up a bit, lurking at the back of the crowd, his eyes twitching back and forth in their sunken sockets, as he tightly gripped his weapons hilt. He drew it inside his clock, and brought the pommel up to his lips, kissing it, and whispering quietly. "Don't worry, we'll get through this some how. There's no need to be scared. This could be the break we were waiting for, we might finally escape the grime and the filth...maybe we'll at least get some food...The others might drop scraps..." His head slowly drooped as the hope flickered out. He gently stroked the glimmering point of the weapon, the brought the pommel up to his ear. He clasped his eyes shut, then winced, and returned it to his waist, striding towards the front of the crowd, and jutting out his meager chest. He still hid within his robe, but he was trying his best to look confident, and perhaps to stand out...this was a horrible idea, but it was far too late to back down.

Jurin slipped in with the others who had gone in. He was careful not to be stepped on and avoid being seen but inside that was near impossible but hey maybe they wouldn't look down. The Tomthumb waited in the main hall where the others had gathered and remained silent trying to figure out how Footers planned to deal with this problem.

"Alright, that's it. Kill the audiocasters. We've got all we're gonna get by this point." A flurry of button pressing from the comms officer in charge of the speakers, and throughout the city, the message changed to the stock "A state of emergency has been declared. Please remain indoors or seek appropriate shelter until the situation is resolved."

"All squads, fall in! We're going outside so people have room to work here." Kamlon's voice carried the boom of command, and the entire room was silent for a moment until those not part of the squads returned to their tasks. The squads and the volunteers with them followed the Commander out down the hall and through the doors back outside, where they waited for the man to turn and address them.

There were a few undecided individuals mucking about outside, (he knew they didn't belong in the Upper Tier by their clothing and general appearance) to whom Kamlon bellowed, "All of you! If you're going to help us retake the Underground, join up with squad 3." He pointed behind him to the group in question, the one with the Neko machine-gunner. Finally, he turned about to give his address.

"Members of the Fist, adventurers, whoever you are, listen up. At exactly 7:41 this morning, a pulse of energy tore through the Underground, originating from the Pit. We've been trying to stop them from digging too deep for years, and it looks like the slummers finally hit the worst kind of shit imaginable, is the assumption we're operating under. People have lost their minds, and seem to respond to any intrusion into the Underground by ripping the offender to shreds, or filling him with lead, when they're not mindlessly slaughtering one another. The pulse also hit New Chargate Prison, and the Wardens and Guards have kindly granted every prisoner his or her freedom, from the wife-beaters to the would-be terrorists, and it seems the wards in place in the lower levels have protected the worst criminals from the effects of the pulse, so they're currently running about fully aware and lucid." He paused to let the gravity of the situation settle among those present.

"We lost contact with any member of the Fist that was in the Underground at the time of the pulse, but we can only assume they were affected just the same as everyone else. Most of you are going to be heading down there to neutralize the immediate threats, including the escaped prisoners, by whatever means you deem necessary, however, we ask that you attempt to use less-lethal methods against any officers of the Fist you encounter if at all possible. Anyone who tries to help you should be regarded with suspicion, as they may be from the deep levels of New Chargate and looking for a way out.
Squad 3! [That's you guys, by the way] You will be investigating the source of the pulse, in the deepest part of the Pit. Destroy it, seal it away, or stop it by any means necessary. We don't know if it may pulse again, and we don't want to find out. There will be a fat paycheck for those of you that survive this, courtesy of the good people of Negav, as their way of thanking you. Dismissed!" And with that, the Commander turned and walked back inside, leaving the squads to get acquainted with their new members.

Minacchi walked towards the rather intimidating-looking neko, his black and red cloak covering all but his face and his gravity-defying blonde hair. Seeing his heavy firepower awed him; he had always seen/imagined nekos as being slender, quick and stealthy. This man simply turned that notion on its' head. He couldn't say that was necessarily a bad thing, though his guess at the way the neko acted in combat worried him; should he be cloaked and the neko fire in his direction, not knowing he was there, he could end up in very bad shape. He kept quiet still, not wanting to draw attention to himself. At least, not yet.

Lucius frowned as he listened to his orders, he hated being underground. His wings always got in the way when he was underground. It didn't really matter that much though. He'd be able to operate as normal, just without flying. "Sounds like an easy enough mission. Where do we start?" The Half-Celestial took a better look at his team mates and nearly blanched. His so called team consisted of a flamboyant Human who seemed like he would be more at home on a stage then in a battle, a man who was obviously homeless and looked half starved, and a tiny Tomthumb. 'Looks like you have your work cut out for you this time Lucy.' Lucius smiled at Minacchi. "So, how long do you reckon it'll take us? I bet three days, tops. The name's Lucius by the way, Lucius Smith, though my sister sometimes calls me Lucy..."

'Any means necessary?' Jurin thought to himself. 'Well isn't that nice, I think I'll definitely stick around. Besides these Footers will be good meat shields and I'll enjoy watching them die.' Though his thoughts were on happy things Jurin should none of it on his face being cold as ever. The Tomthumb now made sure he was seen as a part of the group instead of trying to hide among them.

(Do you watch Jimmy Two-Shoes, Nergal?? :33)

Minacchi stifled a laugh. It was just such a wonderfully silly and heartwarming thing this man had just said to him, and yet so delightfully hilarious. He managed to keep himself composed, however, and finally spoke.

"I suppose how long it takes us depends on the quality of the operations' leaderships," the actor answered. He didn't want to make assumptions, and he wasn't really good with math either. "My name is Minacchi Viotosa. It's a pleasure to meet you." His closed-mouthed smile and slender, grinning eyes betrayed the fact that he wasn't really keen on having to talk to anyone, especially without the safety of his mask.

(Actually, I've never heard of that show before. )

Lucius failed to pick up the obvious clue that the man didn't want to be spoken to, and grinned. "Well, good to have you on the team." He turned to the Tomthumb and crouched down. "So how about you? What's your name my good fellow?" He offered a hand for the Tomthumb to climb onto.

The Tomthumb's eyebrows narrowed ever so slightly at being offered a hand up. "Jurin Laen." He answered coldly annoyed at this Footer for trying to offer picking him up.

Ivan strides towards the group, but remains retreated into his cloak. He keeps his head down, and quietly watches the interactions of those around him, chuckling when the winged one offered his hand to the tomthumb. His smiled quickly faded as the thought popped into his mind...the winged one...He hopped the issue would not pop up again in the future. He would have to talk with Sonya about it later, she would know what to do. She always knew.

[I'm not going to try to write individual introductions for everyone, but you're free to talk to your squadmates.]

Squad 3 Permanent Members:
Armelle Honeymeade: The Captain of this Fist Squad, she is a human from another Earth. Has a commanding presence, and uses a halberd that seems to always glow a faint blue.

Caius Castus: Neko battlemage who primarily uses ice magic. Tolerates Clay as a squadmate and fellow battlemage, but resents the Inu's hyperactive nature.

Clay Shorn-Ear: Inu battlemage who wields fire. Likes to mess around with Caius, barking at him just to startle the Neko on occasion.

Steel Blood: One of a rare model of android designed for assassination. She has two devices holstered at her hips, probably her weapons. Melee specialist.

Sumari: Elf marksman who mostly joined the Fist due to not feeling as though she belonged amongst her people. Accurate with seemingly any weapon you place in her hands, but for now she uses a bow.

Sara Quickfoot: Neko Scout for Squad 3. Her small frame allows her impressive maneuverability, and she is naturally a fast runner. Uses a short sword as her primary weapon, backed up by many throwing knives.

Grulsh Ebeth: Half-Orc fighter from the same Earth as Armelle. The two initially tried to kill one another upon meeting. Keeps a large, semi-sharp axe slung across his back.

Julius Grimm: Squad 3 Medic (he calls himself a Medicae) from the planet Cadia. Counts on his trusty lasgun for when things get dodgy.

Lydia Ulyir: Felarya-born human woman who serves as engineer, maintaining the squad's equipment and vehicles (vehicles that cannot be used in the close quarters of the Underground, much to her chagrin). Seemingly always has a layer of grease on her body, no matter how often she showers (surprisingly often, actually).

'Kath': Appears to be lizard with a humanoid shape. He stands a good 2 heads taller than anyone else in the Squad when standing up straight (Armelle is 6'00'' already) and uses a ruggedly-built light machine gun in his support role. Also, the weapon has a bayonet attached. Said bayonet would be a full-sized sword for anyone but Kath. His last name literally cannot be pronounced by someone with more normal vocal cords.

Squad 3 Temporary Members:
Tor Sacsel: The previously-mentioned well-armed Neko. Jovial and outgoing, he's currently putting the moves on Sara. She doesn't seem interested.

Reisen: A magically-endowed girl with rabbit ears sticking out the top of her head. Capable of unleashing a storm of energy bullets from her hands. Apparently, her ability is still considered weak where she comes from.

Elizabeth Cohen: Human Medic from the U.S. Army. Looking for a way home, but doesn't trust the Dimensional Gate, for some reason. Was miraculously able to find enough replacement parts and ammo for her M4 Carbine to keep using it even upon ending up here.

---

"Alright everyone, get acquainted." Armelle calmly suggested of the temporarily-expanded Squad 3. "We don't want to see any more civilians die through our inaction, so we'll talk on the lift." With the press of a button, a large, mostly flat vehicle flying landed nearby, the doors of the transport folding down to become ramps. Armelle and the other permanent members of the Squad began shuffling in. The bay was obviously meant for transporting cargo originally, but two sets of uncushioned seats had been bolted in so everyone had room and would face the other half of the squad. The permanent members took their seats, save for the lizardman and the android, both of whom could apparently stand just fine unsupported.

Tor, the Neko with the machine gun, sat right next to the current target of his affections, Sara Quickfoot, who was now starting to look displeased at the attention she was getting.
Armelle ignored this, hoping the Scout would be able to voice her own displeasure, and warned the other temporary members of the Squad, "This thing's going to move fast, so I'd suggest you take a seat and strap in, unless you want to end up pinned against the wall." Upon noticing the Tomthumb, she said, "Will you be alright? We don't have seats meant for people of your size, I'm sorry to say..."

"I'll be fine." Jurin replied when asked if he would be alright. The Tomthumb climbed up to a place above the seats. He looked for the best place to secure himself without being crushed by supplies or any other member. He tied himself so with his robe so he wouldn't fly around mid flight. He also had his blade ready to cut it if he needed a quick escape. "See, I'll be fine. Your concern is not needed."

Lucius sat down and motioned for Sumari and Ivan to join him. "Hi there, I don't believe we've met yet. I'm always happy to see another marksman, especially one with a bow. And you Human, you were outside with us. Come on, what's your name friend? I'm Lucius." He gave them both his most cheerful smile, working to keep people relaxed.


----

Quote :

Reisen: A magically-endowed girl with rabbit ears sticking out the top of her head. Capable of unleashing a storm of energy bullets from her hands. Apparently, her ability is still considered weak where she comes from.

I see what you did there Zephyr. I hope she's Lunatic and not Easy. Would have been nicer to have a Time-Stopping maid though, even if she is flat-chested and uses pad- *a dozen knives fly out of no-where and stab me in the eyes, throat, chest, and groin*