SeeGears and Portalsfor info

In a city in between the worlds, Magic and Technology collide to create wonderful opportunity for adventures.

Vrushos Kren (by Brian /Talan_fire)

Absent Minded Engineer (4) Rugged Survivor (3) Experimental Shardsmith (3)

Appearance: Regularly unshaven, short chestnut hair, and striking green eyes. He commonly wears rugged survival clothing (lots of pockets) with long overcoat (even more pockets), and custom made boots.

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Rotwang the Steamjunker. (by Ron/Rotvang)

Operating, repairing and designing mechanical constructs and gimmicks (3)Find anything in piles of junk (2) Shardsmith (2)Bargain like a Byzantine Merchant (1)Blow stuff up (2)

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Rotwang (pronounced "rote-vang", but almost everyone else says it like he has a social disease) is an irascible, scrawny, goblinlike resident of Portcullis. He is usually found dressed in grimy leather and coarse linen work clothes, consisting of leather apron with many belts and pouches and pockets, and leather gauntlets, these over a linen shirt and pants that tuck into thick, leather, hobnailed boots. Many tools and gadgets of incomprehensible function are attached to various straps, bandoliers and belts. He looks ugly and nasty, but he has a set of fine, renaissance style clothes tucked away in his flop, and when he cleans up-- he cleans up ugly and nasty. But well dressed. He is interested in beer, blowing things up, rebuilding things from the resulting junk, scavenging/stealing parts and shards, and generally trying to get to the point where people will have to respect him because otherwise he'll blow them up-- or maybe because they are impressed by his Steamjunk mastery. Babes wouldn't be bad either (though bad babes are all right, if possible, in fact preferred), but there's the ugly and nasty bit to contend with...

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Tahnis Firemane (by Ben /Lodestone)

If it moves I can pilot it like you've never seen (3) A skillful hunter ofsalvageable parts (3) Child prodigy of mechanical devices (3) Fledgling pyromancer from an unpromising start (1)

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6' tall muscular Leonin. Golden fur but a bright red mane (the primary color, not the orange haircolor) which turned that way after the first (accidental) demonstration of his pyromantic abilities and remained that way since. Always been good with machines. Built his A.K.I.T.A. while still fairly young and has had her ever since. Left forearm and hand replaced by a mechanical prosthetic as a result of problems with his pride when they discovered his magical abilities, even though they are only at a fledgling stage. He would have been killed but his mother intervened and he was banished instead.

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Captain Rodion Black (Luka /LucasBlackwolf)

Swashbuckling Sky-Dog (4) Gentleman Pirate (3) and Razor sharp with Wit and Sword (3)

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A young sky-faring human, with enough inheritance (social and financial) to think of himself as a gentleman explorer, but enough debts and discordance with societal norms (he calls it free spirit) to be tagged as a pirate in some circles. Otherwise he's well meaning and disastrously romantic.

The explosion was heard across Portcullis. And of course the rumor mills and word of mouth spread just as quickly as the fragments of gate. Some said it was the main gate from Arcadias, though which most of the city's food comes. Others suggested there would be shortages and rationing soon, that the city was doomed. Some said that it was the start of an attack, that it was rogue Gobbers, that an elemental had got caught in the gate and caused the fritz. Others said there were secret forces at work looking to overthrow the council and the DoorGuard. Others that it was, you know, just one of those things.

Yvesko, barkeep of The Stovepipe didn't say anything. He just served drinks. But sooner or later an off duty DoorGuard would be in and need a drink, and the rumor mills would have fresh grist. In the meantime, the cellar was full and there was a run on cold drinks, business was good...

Rotwang scampered through the alleyways close to the smoking ruin of the gate. His keen eyes and sense for valuable junk soon saw a battered crate ejected from the cargohold of the skyship that was caught in the explosion. Not only were the contents intact, the shipping labels and waybill were still, mostly, legible. Perfect for substitution by forged papers declaring Rotwang the legal owner of the merchandice. Tahnis, searching in a nearby street was having similar luck, sneaking around a DoorGuard barricade and into the wreakage of the sterncastle of the skyship, he quietly pocketed the ship's log and aetheriometer.

Kren, in deep conversation with Aujo Rikk, a regular patron of the Stovepipe, ignored the retorical flourish of the man calling himself Toadwarden and continued telling the tale of the mining explosion which claimed his most promising excavator design. Rikk replied describing the mess caused by the recent explosion of the Green Gate as a skyship was passing through and in hushed tones, "An act of terror. The council had recently received threats over its ban on particular forms of shard-summoning." Equally hushed Kren shakes his head shocked, "An act of terror! That is terrible. What are times coming to..." Rikk offered a name of a junior clerk that could surely tell Kren more if he had money for beer to spend. Meanwhile "Ichabod" was forced to dodge a empty glass thrown from the crowd. The barkeep, Yvesko, loudly remonstrated with the patron and beckoned Rodion over. "It's a gate that's been blowed up" he said. "It's got everyone on edge, it's not the sort of thing that happens regularly around here. Bad for business it is. First the thefts in the alchemist's quater and then that body they found down by the docks and now this. You gotta wonder if the council isn't loosing the plot." Yvesko turned to serve another customer, leaving Rodion with much to ponder.

Tahnis, pondering the log was interupted by the impact of Rotwang's cart against his shin. Undstandably, Rotwang did not want to remain in one place long after what people of stricter moral standards would label theft so his apologies were brief and he was off running. He had not got far before Tahnis realised the collision caused him to drop the aetheriometer, now sitting in the Rotwang's cart. His long legs ate the distance between them.

Meanwhile in the stovepipe, Aujo Rikk, encouraged by friendly strangers paying for his beer was recounting the various conspricy theories swirling around the ban on shard-summoning using a Ou Matrix, postulating that the entities summoned where considerbly more dangerous than previously supposed. The reluctance of one of the city's leading shardmancers, Ormhon in handing over his Ou Matrix and his threats that any attempted seizure would be met with resistance and his links to various cargo syndicates (some involving smuggling) gave him a prominent place in the tale. Directions to Ormhon's tower were also forthcoming. And after Aujo left to return home, Kren dragged Rodion out to his steam-car, "What in Infinity where you trying to do back there?!" Checking the water levels and finiding them satisfactory hot, Kren jumped into the driver's side and engaged the engine. They learched forward and Kren aimed his vehicle along the directions to Ormhon's to see what could be seen. Along the way he introduced himself, "Call me Kren. I think I can get into Ormhon's place. Can you play the role of ship captain better than diplomatic twit?"

What could be seen was a large cat-man holding a gobber around the throat, while he babbled excitedly about the noises a small device was making. The Aetheriometer, whilse pointed at the upper levels of a nearby tower made a rapid chirping sound. This indicated something which neither of the parties were at that point interested in persuing, locked as they were in a discussion about the ownership of the device. The argument was brought short by the sudden silence of the aetheriometer and the simultanous flash from a newly formed vortex of electric purple hues swirling about the top of the tower. There was no doubt there was something going on in the tower which would worth investigating.

A growl from Tahnis distracted both Kren and Black. They turned to see the large cat man doubled over, and the gobber fleeing down a side street. Tahnis stood up again slowly, looking around and deciding that pursuing the vile creature was no longer possible he moved towards the others. The slit at gate is no longer occupied by watching eyes, and the sounds from within the compound have become louder and more violent, with the occasional scream now mixed in. Whatever is happening inside there, it's clearly not pleasant for most involved. The solid gate is still locked but the shaking of the building suggests that opening it should be done before the gatehouse and archwaycollapse on top of it.