The Necromancers

They can sometimes be seen along the space ways and at port: black ships, sleek, angular and glinting like an obsidian blade. Their crews are small; often only the master of the vessel and his slave daemons or bioroids are aboard. They do not come to trade or to meet other species. These dead men, these Necromancers, have other concerns.

Tall and cadaverous, the Necromancers are of a near human bioform. They appear to be lacking in biologic processes--except perhaps decay, slowed by the black nanosuits they wear. Though they don’t live in the usual sense, they do use energy; nanites infuse their tissues, reanimating them. But the bodies break down, after centuries--or millennia perhaps. Then their intelligences, held in palm-sized scarabae, can attach themselves to the nervous system of a new host.

There are a lot of stories told about the Necromancers: that they have magical powers or that they’re ultraterrestrials or qlippothic entities from a previous universe. The most credible theory holds they are the guardians of an ancient culture: A culture which committed mass suicide to avoid some sort of cataclysm, with a plan to resurrect themselves in a future time. Their bodies were interred in tomb worlds and their minds uploaded and conveyed through a wormwhole to a secure data underworld. The Necromancers were their people's psychopomps and were to be their resurrectors.

Something went wrong. The underworld was lost. The Necromancers search for them still, dealing with any being that might be able to help them--and destroying any that stand in their way.

AC: 3 or better

No. Appearing: 1-2
Hit Dice: 5 
Movement: 20'
Saving Throw: 13
Attack Bonus:  +7
Damage: 2d8 energy weapon or better
Morale: 10
Skill Bonus: +4

Warlord Wednesday: Of Captives and Cannibals...

Let's re-enter the lost world with another installment of my issue by issue examination of DC Comic's Warlord, the earlier installments of which can be found here...

"Of Captives and Cannibals... Scavengers and Kings"

Warlord #118 (June 1987)

Written by Michael Fleisher; Art by Ron Randall

Synopsis: The ship taking the blonde stranger to New Atlantis is attacked by a strange scorpion-looking vehicle. The stranger flies from the ship, blocks stinger blasts with her bare hands, and starts punching the craft open, The pilot distracts her by blasting the ship in half.

The stranger flies back the ship. Holding the halves together, she carries it to a nearby island. There the crew can make repairs, but it looks like the stranger will be flying to New Atlantis.

In Shamballah, Morgan is saddling his horse to ride out looking for Tara. The Queen for her part is on her way back, presumably, just stopping to water her horse. That’s when the former Vathek Y’Smalla makes her move:

Using Apokolipsian illusions, she gets the drop on Tara and knocks her out.

Morgan comes across a woman being attack by an weird, orange, insect monster. He dispatches it in his usual way, but the girl--far from thanking him--tells him to stay away, then she faints. Puzzled, Morgan picks her up to carry her to a nearby town.

Morgan brings the girl into an inn. He doesn't get the welcome he expected:

Desaad’s smear campaign has turned the townsfolk against him. He has no choice but to fight them. Luckily, a blind man who was tortured by Desaad (then freed by the Warlord) shows up to vouch for him.

Elsewhere, Redmond is in the hand of tribesmen about to sacrifice him in the flaming maw of their idol. He manages to get free, and lobs a couple of grenades at them. In the chaos the follows, Redmond retrieves his and makes his escape.

In Shamballah, Jennifer is practicing to get her magical mojo back. She’s interrupted by Mariah, who has come to tell her goodbye. Mariah feels guilt about how her actions have made everyone else miserable, and she’s leaving:

The blonde stranger has reached New Atlantis and finds it deserted. Her thoughts reveal her to me the superheroine known as Power Girl. She used to believe she was Superman’s cousin, but now she knows herself to be the granddaughter of Arion, Lord of Atlantis. She doesn’t plan to leave New Atlantis until she finds out more about her parents and grandparents.

A bit later, Morgan rides back into Shamballah. He’s greeted by an angry Machiste who suckerpunches him. Machiste is angry about Morgan’s relationship with Mariah. He declares their friendship over and rides off.

Things to Notice:

• This issue marks the first time a DC Universe superhero has appeared in Skartaris.
• Mariah, Morgan and Jennifer are back in their old costumes (though Mariah still sports her new eye make-up).

Where it Comes From:
This issue marks the beginning of a series of retcons over decades to the origin of Power Girl. When Power Girl first appeared in All Star Comics #58 (1976) she was Kara Zor-L, Kryptonian cousin--essentially the Earth-2 version of Supergirl. Post-Crisis there was no Earth-2, and post John Byrne's Man of Steel Superman reboot, Superman was the last survivor of Krypton.

Power Girl needed a new origin. In Secret Origins vol 2 #11, she got one: She was now the descendant of the Atlantean sorcerer Arion, and she had been in suspended animation for a long time.

Selling Dreams

The Phantasists are renown throughout the galaxy as dream merchants. No purveyors of mere sims or other mass produced neural trickery, the Phantasists use ancient arts to craft neurochemical mixtures that deliver an individualized, specific, and vivid oneiric experience.

The Phantasists inhabit the sky city of Eidolon (believed to be a folly constructed by a prelapsarian plutocrat), floating above an environmentally damaged world populated by nightmare horrors. They generally appear as baseline humanoids with pale complexions and blue eyes, though they are a creative people and sometimes wear other more varied bodies. Phantasist society is a syndicate subdivided by guild and class. At least when dealing with the public, all Phantasists affect an air of ancient nobility. Though their own official history is perhaps purposefully obscure on their origins, historians believe the Phantasists are descended from an artists’ colony that took up residence in the city during the age of decline before the Great Collapse.

Phantasists have made extensive study of dreams. Their technicians (or “oneironauts” in their advertising copy) delve into simulations constructed from centuries of dream log data gathered in their sleep laboratories from a myriad of sophonts. Comparing the subjective experience with real-time neurologic data they have been able to isolate dream elements and experiences. All this knowledge goes into the synthesis of their oneiric neuronanochemical cocktails for high paying clientele.

Phantasists don’t seek to create crude and causality-bound simulations of physical reality; Their aim is the crafting of experiences with the particular sensation of a dream. There are rumored to be rogue oneirochemists who are willing to create jamais vu traps and  unwaking nightmares for special clients, but the Phantasists vigorously deny that any of their number would participate in those practices.

[For Brutorz Bill who's been wanting new science fiction material. More to come. ]

How Do You Like Your Sci-Fi?

My recent science fiction posts in multiple settings (Star Trek, Pulp Space, Talislantan Space) has got me thinking about the different levels of "hardness" in science fiction. (A topic that TV Tropes--unsurprisingly--has some thoughts on). This scale is a bit granular and more detailed (and perhaps a bit more judgey). Here's my sort of summary of the basics of both of these:

Hard: So, on one end we've got fairly plausible stuff that mostly extrapolates on current technology. This includes stuff like William Gibson's Sprawl series and the novels of Greg Egan (from the near future mystery Quarantine to the far future Diaspora). A game example is this category would be somethig like GURPS Transhuman Space.

Medium: Getting a little more fantastic, we arrive in the real of a lot of TV shows and computer games. One end of this pretty much only needs you to believe in FTL and artificial gravity but is otherwise pretty hard. Powerful but plausible nanotech might fall here, too (like in John C. Wright's Golden Age triology). The fewer impossible things you're asked to believe (and the better rationalized the ones you are asked to believe in are), the harder it is. The middle of this group adds in something like psionics (Traveller gets in here, and a lot of science fiction novels, like Dune and Hyperion). The softer end throws in a lot of too-human aliens and "pure energy" beings (Babylon 5, most Star Trek).

Soft: Here lies fantasy but with a science fiction veneer and context. Some Star Trek (the animated series, particularly) comes in here, and Farscape. This is also the domain of Star Wars. Simon R. Green's Deathstalker cycle turns up here, too.

Ultra-Soft: Some Star Wars tie-ins in other media come in here, as do things that include magic (or similar fantastic elements} mixed in with an otherwise soft sci-fi universe: This would include superhero sci-fi properties (the Legion of Super-Heroes and Guardians of the Galaxy) and comic book epic sci-fi (what might also be thought of as Heavy Metal sci-fi) like Dreadstar, The Incal, and The Metabarons. It's possible it stops beings science fiction on the mushiest end of this catgory and just becomes "fantasy."

So what consistency of sci-fi is your favorite--particularly in regard to rpgs?

Talislantan Space: In the Expanse

The Zaran Expanse is a region of decimated star systems and damaged worlds, the epicenter of the devastation of the Great Disaster. The area gets its name from the ancient Zaran Empire, though how much of the territory the empire actually controlled is a matter of debate. Traversing through and residing in the Expanse are a mix of species from all over the galaxy:

A Nagra bounty hunter draws on his quarry. The Nagra's "spirit tracking" ability allows them to trace the psychic ripples of their prey's passing, even across space.

A group of Zandir fencers perform an exhibition bout.

Two Batrean females run a confidence game.

A rare glimpse of a Muse Empath outside the Seven Worlds Alliance.

Warlord Wednesday: Legacy of Nightmare

Let's re-enter the lost world with another installment of my issue by issue examination of DC Comic's Warlord, the earlier installments of which can be found here...

"Legacy of Nightmare"

Warlord #117 (May 1987)

Written by Michael Fleisher; Art by Ron Randall

Synopsis: As Shamballah celebrates the end to the aging plague caused by Muldahara’s magic, Queen Tara is still troubled by traumatic dreams of the mental tortures she suffered at Desaad’s hands. She’s got to find away to get over her fears. She heads out of the palace without telling Morgan where she’s going, reminding him in passing of all the times he’s done it to her.

Meanwhile, Machiste confronts Mariah. He wants to know who she ran out on him for. She resists telling him, but ultimately the truth comes out: It was Morgan.

Tara rides out toward the only place she can truly face her demons: Desaad’s citadel (actually, it’s unclear in the story that that’s where she’s heading, but it’s the only thing that makes sense). Crossing a desert landscape, she attracts the attention of a group of bandits. Though she’s deadly with her bow, she’s outnumbered. The only place close enough for refuge--the citadel, of course.

A world away on Dinosaur Island, Redmond has found a cave that he believes may provide an entry point to Skartaris. He’s still convinced that Morgan went over to the Russians at some point. Even though Morgan has spent most of the last decade in a sword & sorcery fantasyland, and he couldn't have given the Soviets any information recent or useful, Redmond’s going to get his man.  He immediately runs into trouble:

Tara makes it to Desaad’s Citadel. She plans to hide inside, luring the bandits in after her, then take them out one at the time Die Hard style. The former Vathek assassin, Y’Smalla hides in the citadel, planning to watch events unfold on the monitors but not interfere.

Tara manages to separate off some of the bandits and kill them, but there still too many, and she’s on the run. Cornered in a room, she accidentally triggers some of the illusion creating machinery. The bandit is disoriented, making him easy pickings. She begins luring the men into rooms and using the illusions to her advantage. The last bandit has gotten wise to the trick, though and doesn't fall for the illusion. Tara puts on Desaad’s helmet that allows the experiencing of the subjects emotions--and the exploitation of their greatest fears.

As she causes the bandit believe he's being squeezed to death by eel-things, she gets a jolt of the sadistic pleasure Desaad experiences.

She finally is able to stop, but the man is dead, and killed in a horrible way by her hand.

Meanwhile, the mysterious blonde stranger is trying to book passage to new Atlantis. The captain wants to head south instead of north. When a cargo net full of crates threatens to crush his daughter and the stranger saves her with a speed one might call faster than a speeding bullet...

...he relents and agrees to take the woman where she wants to go.

Things to Notice:

• Despite wearing her old outfit on the cover, Tara (just like everybody else) sports her new outfit in the story.
• On the subject of new outfits, Mariah's eye makeup has gone totally 80s and combined with her new headband, she looks like a member of Jem and the Holograms. 

Where it Comes From:
This issue continues to deal with the dangling plot threads of the "Morgan's Quest" storyline. The new costumes tend to abandon some of the 70s-ism--and some of the fur. They didn't make the lasting impression Grell's outfits did, though.

Celluloid Rocketship

By the mid-thirties, the major film studios were all exploiting the public’s interest in the exotic worlds of the solar system. Of all the one-reel travelogue series produced, perhaps none was more popular than The Rocketship of Movietone, debuted in 1931.

Several of the earliest films dealt with Venus. “Giants of the Jungle” focused on the exotic and dangerous Venusian saurians. In early 1932, “Lost Cities of Venus” used footage from the Markheim survey expedition's dangerous foray into one of the ruins of the ancients.

Of course, Mars figures prominently in the early subjects. The low canal markets and bazaars were featured. Another dealt with the desert tribes--though the tragic fate of the expedition that provided the footage was wisely kept from the movie-going public.

While the initial run of films dealt predominantly with the inner worlds and their satellites, one was made from footage shot by one of the earliest commercial missions to Ganymede. While the footage is limited (still photos had to be used at times) and of lower quality than what was coming from film crews on Mars or Venus, it did give the public their first view of the eerie necropolises of that cold and distant moon.

More than one spaceman of the fifties and sixties sited these early Rocketship of Movietone films as an important influence on their lives.

Hwuru

Hwuru are bipedal sophonts bearing some physical resemblance to Terran apes and sloths. They are shorter than humans but powerfully built with arms longer than their legs, and digits with claw-like structures (actually bony projections covered with horn) on their dorsal surface. They're covered with shaggy fur except on the anterior surface of their torsos, which are covered with leathery plates.

The hwuru evolved from arboreal insectivores. They have small, beak-like snouts (like the Terran echidna) and extendable tongues to aid in snatching up arthopods or their larvae in hard to reach places. Hwuru can’t swallow anything very large and must have bulkier foodstuffs made into a mash before they can consume it. Most hwuru have a mild dependence on chaoofsh a chemical attractant released by the trees native to their world. When off-world, they tend to wear a breathing apparatus to deliver this chemical.

On their native world, no hwuru have advanced beyond the Iron Age, and most live in tribal societies that use stone tools. Interaction with starfaring civilizations has afforded hwuru the chance to leave their planet, and they are sometimes found among the stars where their physical traits make them useful as hired muscle.

Stats for Starships & Spacemen:

Encountered: 2d4 (5d10)
Movement: 120' (40')
Intelligence: Average
Psionic Potential: 2d4, inactive
Hits: 1d8+1
Armor: -1
Combat Skill: 12
Save: L1
Attacks: 1 weapon or 2 claws
Damage: by weapon or 1d3/1d3
Morale: 9
XP: 15

Notes: This is an alien species of my own devising, inspired by an unnamed character in an episode of Superman: The Animated Series.

Tome of Draculas!

An orphaned Secret Santicore request from Ian was for “better draculas.” This cryptic request I interpret as referring to D&D’s propensity of turning unique creatures from mythology or fiction into a class of creatures. A dracula then is pretty much like the standard D&D vampire--except that they have a whole “urbane foreign noble fallen on hard times” thing going for them.  For a standard dracula, simply use your vampire stats of choice: give him (it’s going to be a him, most of the time) a foreign accent, a stylish cape, and a dilapidated castle.

With that in mind, here are some dracula variants:

DRACULA, AQUATIC
Aquatic draculas haunt sunken funeral ships or castles submerged by some natural or manmade upheaval. Draculas are restrained by running water, but relatively still lakes, inlets or lagoons provide a place where they may be active at least some of the time. Aquatic draculas are unable to summon rats, bats, or wolves, but crabs, sentient seaweed, piranhas, and unsavory otters are an option.

DRACULA, ANIMAL
Merely vampiric animals (besides bats) are impossible, but the power of a dracula’s curse is such that even beasts must succumb. Dracula dogs are the most common variety, but even cows have been known. Dracula animals have HD 7 and all the usual vampiric powers and weaknesses, plus whatever innate abilities they possessed in life. Magical animals may not be dracula-ized. (An alternate version of the hellcow appears here.)

DRACULA, LOVELORN
Some draculas ache for a love lost and often mistake some woman or another for this long dead inamorata. The charm ability of the lovelorn dracula often convinces the woman in question that she is indeed a reincarnation. Lovelorn draculas are mechanically identical to the standard version, but they are often hunkier and have flowing locks and a penchant for going shirtless. They seldom bother with summoning vermin, though they probably can.

DRACULA, NOSFERATU
These draculas are hideous and vaguely rodent-like in appearance. They lack the suave demeanor other draculas affect: they are either testy and animalistic, or creep- pathetic and lonely. They have a special affinity for vermin and can summon twice the usual number of rats. They also tend to bring plagues where they go and can cause disease. When exposed to sunlight they fade away rather than turn to dust.

DRACULA, OTHERWORLDLY
This dracula violates the "mostly male" rule. These draculas are mostly female and their foreignness comes from being from another world or plane where blood flows like water. They have none of the shapeshifting or animal summoning powers of usual draculas, but make up for it with HD 9.

DUST OF DRACULA
After a dracula dies, they turn to a reddish powder. This dust can be collected and made into a beverage when mixed with wine and human blood. When this potion is consumed, the imbiber must save vs. polymorph or painfully transform into a duplicate of the dracula whose dust was used.

Talk to the Animals

For Starships & Spacemen, here's an obscure species from the background of Star Trek: The Motion Picture:

KAZARITES
Requirements: CON 9
Ability Adjustments: INT +1
Skill Adjustments: Contact +1
Metabolism: Iron Based

Kazarites are a Federation member species known for largely living a simple, bucolic lifestyle, despite their technological advancement. There are few cities on Kazar and herds of great beasts still migrate, guided by shepherds in telepathic communication with their charges.

Kazarites are somewhat anthropoid in appearance and tend to dress in homespun garments. They possess active psi abilities: most notably, the ability to communicate telepathically with nonsapient lifeforms. Perhaps because of their abilities, many Kazarites are vegetarians and carry their own food for practicality’s sake. They wear small bags of pellets around their neck that can be mixed with water to make a yeasty paste.

Psi Powers: In addition to Animal Telepathy (functions similar to the telepathy, except that it is limited in the complexity of the thoughts that can be conveyed due to the limited intelligence of the animal), a player may select 1 more psi powers at character creation.

Note: Kazarites just appeared in the background of ST:TMP and have never been featured prominently. They don't even show up in any of the Trek rpgs. What little information has been published about them comes from the costume designers for the film.

Warlord Wednesday: Revenge of the Warlock

Let's re-enter the lost world with another installment of my issue by issue examination of DC Comic's Warlord, the earlier installments of which can be found here...

"Revenge of the Warlock"

Warlord #116 (April 1987)

Written by Michael Fleisher; Art by Ron Randall

Synopsis: Amazingly, Tara forgives Mariah for trying to steal her husband, though saving her life has something to do with it. Everyone’s primary concern now is Jennifer: She’s still dying and they don’t have a cure.

Meanwhile in P’Thun (a small kingdom north of Shamballah) the flamboyant wizard Muldahara prances into the throne room and announces his intention to take over the city. He blasts the king with his jeweled wand causing the monarch to rapidly age to death.

A rider arrives in Shamballah from P’Thun and gives Morgan and Tara the news. Morgan remembers Muldahara as the wizard that sent him on the quest to find V’Zarr Hagar-Zinn. The jewels in his wand sound like the eyes of Ankanar Morgan stole for him. And the aging--it’s just too coincidental. Morgan’s been played.

The object of Morgan’s ire is luxuriating in a bath and reminiscing about how he got to this point. He was skulking around around the rebel camp when he saw Ankanar attack and blast Jennifer with the aging ray from its eyes. When Morgan came to him for help, Muldahara sent him to steal Ankanar eyes, then dispatched him on a long quest to the edge of the world to get him out of the way. Mudahara then fashioned his fancy rod to hold the eyes.

On the road to P’Thun, Morgan encounters a large hedge maze that wasn’t there before: More wizard’s work. The magic ring from Hagar-Zinn points out the right path, but then:

A world away in the South Pacific, Redmond is flying to Dinosaur Island. His interrogation of the hapless tourist captured by a lost group of Mayans (back in Annual #5) reminded him of this place. After a run in with some pteranodons damages his plane brings the jet in for a crash-landing.

Morgan’s neither Morgan’s sword or his pistol does much to the creature. It regenerates. Finally, he hits on the idea of setting it on fire. The monster dispatched, Morgan is soon storming the steps of Muldahara’s palace. The wizard is waiting.

Muldahara uses his wand to age the floor to crumbling beneath Morgan’s feet. Then, he ages his sword to dust. Eventually, once he’s done playing with him, he’s going to age Morgan himself.

Miles away, Jennifer--frail as she is--senses her father is in danger. She summons all of her sorcerous powers and instantly transports herself to the palace in P’Thun. She shatters the gems in Muldahara’s rod with a blast.

With the jewels gone, Jennifer de-ages.

Meanwhile, a mysterious stranger arrives in Bandakhar:

Things to Notice:

• Mike Grell returns to Warlord--at least its cover.
• Our main characters get new outfits this issue. They aren't that impressive.
• This is the conclusion (finally) of  "Morgan's Quest" after a sort of hiatus for Legends. 

Where it Comes From:
Muldahara is back (last seen in issue #101) and his very complicated evil plot is finally revealed.

The aircraft flown by Redmond to Dinosaur Island in this issue appears to be the F-19 Stealth Fighter--which never actual existed as far as is known. The design here is based on the Testor Corporation model kit for the "Lockheed F-19 Stealth Fighter," released in 1986.

And the Superhuman Krewe

The Southron canal city of New Ylourgne has a culture all its own. This is as apparent in its magical traditions as anywhere else. While a  professional, (somewhat) public, and singular Thaumaturgical Society holds sway in the City, New Ylourgne is home to a patchwork of societies and cabals, secretive in their teachings but often flamboyantly public in their rivalry.

Despite the tales sometimes heard in the Sorcerers' Quarter, most of these mystical societies or “krewes” don’t trace their traditions to the Averoignian magocracy that once ruled the city. Most seem instead to date back about fifty years, and the oldest rarely more than a century. They began as as social clubs for local thaumaturges (and non-thaumaturgist adventurers), who threw public parties and helped fund parades and celebrations related to Oecumenical holy days. These krewes began to compete for public acclaim, and thaumaturgical spectacle was part of winning these contests.The spells that created illusions and wonders became closely guarded secrets, hidden behind layers of coded language, and artificial mythology, unique to each krewe.

There was some precedent for these organizations. The mages of the Black Folk had long formed gender-specific orders for socialization and the exchange of knowledge.These orders waged ritualized magical battles in order-specific costumes in the city’s streets. Though this practice was suppressed by the ruling Averoignian sorcerers, it was never completely eliminated. The krewes may have been inspired to a degree by these groups, and in turn the Black Folk orders have conformed their primary ritual performances and competitions to the Oecumenical holiday calendar.

The krewes typically have exalted or archaic sounding names, harkening to some legendary founder or progenitor. The officers of the krewes (which are typically almost every thaumaturgy practicing member) take on ornate and nonsensical titles, and often go masked in public performances to evoke an air of mystery. Much of this mummery is magical enhanced; in many ways, the krewes are as adept as illusionists at fooling the public.

While the vast majority of the krewes are only out for fun and entertainment, the magics they wield are very real. Though it happens less these days, it’s not unheard of for serious magical feuds to exist between krewes that have ended in death.

Talislantan Space: Kasmirans

Kasmirans are a short, lean, humanoid species with heavily wrinkled skins. Displaced by the Great Disaster, they now inhabit an arid world near the Seven Worlds Alliance's border with the Zaran Expanse. Despite their origin as refugees, the Kasmirans have become a wealthy people, though how they acquired this wealth is not entirely clear. They are infamous throughout the galaxy, however, as misers and shrewd negotiators.

The Kasmirans have maintained (and expand) their fortunes through investment banking.They have a reputation for ethical behavior and conservative investment, but also infamous as sticklers for the letter of contracts and for their hard credit terms.

Kasmiran society is divided into clans. The heads of these clans elect a Chief Executive Officer of Kasmir. When the Kasmiran clan leaders lose confidence in a CEO, he or she is replaced--and memory-wiped to insure the protection of secrets. This process is referred to as “beheading.”

Their desire to protect their wealth (and the wealth of their clients) has led the Kasmirans to become experts in both physical and data security. Prevailing Kasmiran aesthetics in physical security measures tends to favor clockwork mechanical devices with only sparing use of electronics; they extend this mechanical design into the nanoscale.

Kasmir City, the capital of the world of Kasmir, has a walled and check-pointed city center full of windowless high-security towers where the wealthy Kasmirans reside. Offworlders that work for them reside in the more modest areas surrouding it.

Hidden Lands & Inner Space

Here are a couple of maps from the pages of Marvel comics that could be put to good rpg use.

The first is from the pages of Micronauts. It gives me flashbacks to organic chemistry but also provides a basic layout of Homeworld:

This one is of a hidden land of prehistoric holdouts in Antartica: Ka-Zar's Savage Land:

A Bug of a Different Color

Here's another obscure Star Trek species for Starships & Spacemen:

NASAT

Encountered: 2d4 (5d10)
Movement: 90' (30')
Intelligence: Average
Psionic Potential: 4d4, inactive
Hits: 1d8
Armor: -2
Combat Skill: 12
Save: L1
Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon or 1d4
Morale: 7
XP: 10

Nasat are short humanoids vaguely resembling Terran isopods. They are known to the Federation in the 23rd Century, but are not yet members.

Nasat average 4 ft. tall and have 8 limbs, but typically ambulate bipedally. Either of their upper pairs of limbs may be used as manipulators. Though they have an internal skeleton, they also possess thick plates of carapace that extend down their tails. Their integument is either green, blue, red, brown on yellow.  

These colors divide the Nasat into “shell-groups” which are geographically co-mingled but divide their society in a way analogous to kinship groups in human societies. Nasat have no other concept of kinship. or even pair-bonding. Mating is a casual affair, with no real associated emotion. Children are raised in communal nurseries  and shepherded through adolescence by minimal support from members of their shell-group.  

Nasat are cautious, often to the point of cowardice from the perspective of other species. They make poor fighters, but have a natural aptitude for technology and make excellent technicians and engineers.

Note: Em3Green was a thief and expert lockpicker  who appeared in the animated series episode “The Jihad.” His species was named and further members were introduced in the ebook series Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers .

Warlord Wednesday: Citadel of Fear

Let's re-enter the lost world with another installment of my issue by issue examination of DC Comic's Warlord, the earlier installments of which can be found here...

"Citadel of Fear"

Warlord #115 (March 1987)

Written by Michael Fleisher; Art by Ron Randall

Synopsis: Crossing the desert on the way to Kaambuka, a merchant caravan is attacked by “the Warlord and his blood-mad horde.” The survivors of the caravan are taken off to the Citadel of Fear. The Citadel’s master is Desaad, chief torturer of Darkseid, who’s indulging his sadism at the expense of the captives. When the technological illusion drops away, the Warlord is revealed to actually be Y’smalla, the former Vashek assassin. She allied herself with Desaad in her quest for vengeance.

Meanwhile, the real Morgan and his companions are returning from the castle of V’Zarr Hagar-Zinn--still without a means to save Jennifer. He’s also not looking forward to facing his wife Tara and telling her he’s now in love with Mariah! Shakira is disgusted with him and rides off on her own.

Mariah and Morgan ride into a town where Morgan is immediately attacked. The two are taken captive and the townsfolk plan to burn Morgan alive! A bystander rushes to a horse to ride to Shamballah and tell Queen Tara.

He arrives just in time to see a person with the appearance of Morgan shift into the form of Desaad and kidnap the Queen. The man doesn’t want to tangle with a sorcerer, but he rides back to the town, arriving in time to save Morgan and Mariah from being burned at the stake. (It’s a good thing Shamballah and this town are so close.)

This helpful fellow leads Morgan and Mariah to the Citadel of Fear where Desaad is already subjecting Tara to his tortures. Morgan may be in love with Mariah (thanks to a magic charm Mariah bought) but he feels honor bound to save Tara. Mariah, for her part, is starting to feel guilty about manipulating him.

Y’smalla warns Desaad that Morgan is coming. The Apokolipsian villain plans a reception for the Warlord. When Morgan arrives, he sees Tara reclining in sybaritic indulgence with wine and two guys. It’s all an illusion courtesy of Darkseid. Morgan wavers for a moment, but then V’Zarr Hagar-Zinn’s magic ring kicks in:

Desaad knows the jig is up. He tries to blast Morgan but hits Mariah instead. Morgan returns fire with his pistol, destroying some of Desaad’s machinery. The torturer decides his work here is done and makes his escape. Desaad’s device is falling apart--and both Tara and Mariah are in harm’s way! Who will Morgan choose?

Morgan runs for Mariah, who suddenly has an attack of conscience. She throws the love charm in a nearby fire. She tells Morgan to save Tara. With the charm destroyed, Morgan makes an about face and runs to save his wife. A certain black cat bounds in and transforms into Shakira. She helps Mariah get to safety.

Our heroes are all safe, and Morgan and Tara are reunited. And Mariah:

Desaad leaves Skartaris, his mission to destroy the legend of the Warlord far from a complete success but not a total failure, either. He’s also left Y’smalla behind with tools to cause chaos as a parting shot.

Things to Notice:

• This issue is a Legends crossover.
• Morgan calls his beloved Mariah "youngster," too. That's even more odd than him calling Shakira that.
• It's strange that the loyal Shamballan so pivotal to this story goes unnamed.

Where it Comes From:
The title of this issue is the same as a 1918 lost world novel by Francis Stevens (Gertrude Barrows Bennett),  but there is no clear link between the two. 

Soldiers for Salvation

Every adventurer has at least heard of the Hell Syndicate and its infernal bosses, but fewer are aware that the agents of Heaven are also active in the world. Worldwide, they’re a varied lot--more variable even than the differing versions of the Supreme Being espoused by world religions and encountered by planar travelers--but they have similar aims: They make sure the multiverse functions as it should and they motivate humans to confront the forces of evil.

The followers of the Good Book call these beings “angels.” In the Astral and beyond they can be powerful and frightening, bigger and stronger than many earthly eikones. Their forms are too big and strange for the Material Plane, but in the higher realms they're composed of  a tumult of wings and heads of animals or geometric solids and fire. Always fire.

On earth, they're are smaller and more mundane. A string of soup kitchens and homeless shelters across the Strange New World are operated by angels in human guise or their agents. From the down-and-outs, addicts, and alcoholics that take advantage of their services, the angels recruit soldiers. The most trusted of these they grant minor miraculous powers, making them essentially members of the Gifted. Others are recruited via traveling revivals or mysteriously short-lived radio evangelist shows. These folk drawn from among the working poor, the elderly, and the outcasts of society become secret members of the Army of Salvation.They wait quietly for the time when they will be called upon to perform some task for the agents of God.

Some angels on Earth are sent on missions by their superiors to right various mundane wrongs they encounter--not by direct action as much as by encouraging humans to do so. These angels seldom appear in any way angelic: They mostly look like traveling salesmen, regular clerks or the like. They rarely manifest any supernatural powers--though they are able to travel from place to place instantaneously and have the uncanny knack of avoiding serious physical harm. Other powers are available to them, but these must be cleared with their superiors and are only sanctioned in the direst need.

Ghosts of the First Ones

Discoveries since the the advent of the space age have confirmed occult theories and assertions of the Book of Dzyan that humanity is not the first intelligence to arise on the earth. Astral projection has allowed a glimpse of the beings that inhabited earth in the distance past. The oldest of these was a protoplasmic race made of lighter elements than current physical matter--indeed, they were of a density we would currently term “etheric.” They inhabited a continent only slightly denser than themselves, long ago sublimated into the Astral, but then located at what is now the North Pole. For this reason, these beings have been dubbed “Polarians.”

Psychic impressions indicate the Polarians were alien in many respects. They do not appear to have possessed consciousness in the manner of humans and were perhaps part of a group intelligence. They weren't users of tools in the usual sense: they made what they need from their own substance. Polarian bodies possessed no organs and they reproduced asexually via binary fission.

Polarians are long extinct, but their tenuous ghosts are sometimes encountered, particular in the atmospheres of the gaseous outer planets, blown there by the solar winds.

POLARIAN GHOST
# Enc.:1 (1d4)  Movement:180’ (60’)  Armor Class: 0 (or 8)  Hit Dice: 8  Attacks:1  Damage: 1d6, see below  Save: M8.
These remnants of the Polarian race are ethereal and incapable of physical harm or being harmed by physical creatures. However, their presence is unnerving and may cause fear as per spell. Pyschic beings are particularly susceptible to their alien intellects and save at a -2. They can be harmed by supernatural abilities which effect ethereal creatures or by other ethereal being. They may strike ethereal creatures with pseudopods for 1d6 damage. On a successful hit they can envelope a foe if they wish, provided their man-size or smaller. To ethereal creatures this does a 2 points of damage per round. Their ability to damage etheric beings also allows them to disrupt psychic helms, effecting navigation in unpredictable ways.

Some Images from Talislantan Space

Well, not really, but they work reasonably we for it:

Chana warrior.

Jaka manhunter.

Mondre Khan.

Sarista.