Halloween World: War of the Masks

[Shaderic]

<<Sorry for the late start, but I've been busy. Also, I'm only gonna get busier. For a week or two, anyway. Then, I'm going to get involved more. Until then, have fun, explore/define the town, and wander off if you want an encounter. I'll be trusting you all to behave, alright?>>

WAR OF THE MASKS

Prologue

____________________
Kurt looked down from the rise, absently stretching his claw, as the town of Cassady laid itself out before him. For some reason, the town had become a strategic target. And a valuable one, to be worth sending an advance scout to hold it.

He couldn't guess why himself, but he wasn't supposed to question orders. Just execute them. Of course, the town looked lively enough. It shouldn't be too hard then, to make sure the city was still standing when a detachment from the Joint strike force showed up.

With a sigh, he stretched and started looking for a path down to the city.

 

[zedalb]

Nothing to see here

 

[GhostElder]

Chris dusted off his paws after having hauled more foodstuffs into the bar's kitchen. It seemed that most of the mercs were congregating here and the owner was hoping they'd order more than just their allotted rations and cycle some of their pay back into the town.

Sliding himself onto the stool farthest from the door so he'd have a good view of the room. He considered for a bit and when the bartender got to him, tapping his paw twice on the bar top, the man nodded knowing the pokemon wanted a sweetened carrot juice, and that if he wasn't ordering water, he was ordering juice.

Opening his waist pack and withdrawing the requisite money, Chris traded for his drink. After a half hearted glare at a grinning bartender who almost put his order into a red dog bowl instead of a cup as a joke.

 

[shibosho]

In the town of Cassady, Overlord Adrien was overseeing the labour of his Minions. Tens of Minions, all of them from the brown-subtype, were busy with the construction of what would eventually his home and headquarters, the Dark Tower. Under the guidance of Gnarl, the oldest known Minion, Adrien made sure that the Minions worked to the best of their abilities. Something that the Minions themselves appreciated.

"Oi! You there! No swimming in the cement mix- crap, someone get a blue Minion here!" Of course, with Minions, accidents and blatant idiocy will occur.

"For tha Overlord!" At random, Minions stopped what they were doing and gave praise to the overlord, even if stopping what they were doing would result in a fatal accident. "Gyaah!"

"God damn it!"

Life as an Overlord was not easy but that was that. Who knows what might had happened if Adrien had decided to wear that magical girl outfit for a laugh instead of the armour of the Overlord. Adrien didn't want to think about it. If had enough troubles, back when he first shifted, with magical girls declaring that they would defeat him in the name of the love and peace.

It had been a pain to dissuade them from interfering with his plans for survival in this red-tinted world.

Ever since he came to Cassady, he had become part of the community, albeit a tolerated one. After all, who wants to do the dirty work like garbage collection or toilet cleaning when you have a hoard of Minions to do it?

Adrien looked towards the walls of the town. Maybe later, he would send some Minions to reinforce it or something. There was apparently some kind of conflict going on outside the town after all.

 

[Latewave]

The Wandering Mercenary, known as Lance to many, was walking on the path to a town that was called Cassady. He was a day or so off according to the map that his employer had provided him. In exchange for an emerald that had resonated nicely with him, he was to go to the town of Cassady and protect the man's home and/or the rest of the town.

"Hmm, According to rumor the mayor was hiring other mercenaries, I could more then likely get paid again if I hire myself out as a protector. Then after that I could go to Mercenary camp and get paid another time hiring myself out as another hand. I also heard that Joint Strike Team was coming through to help out, there is a chance to get them to shell out some pay. That would mean getting paid four times for a relatively simple job."

Plan in mind he continues on his path.

 

[Aarik]

He had set the Power-fists to low for now, best to get the supports in before doing any serious underground blasting.

After creating the initial indentation into the ground and smoothing the ramp so I and anyone else could get into the pit, they would be building the supports there, I would be tackling the digging myself, I would also have to tell them if I found anything useful like an underground lake or some good stone or metal ore.

I know there should be iron around here somewhere, this is a mountain range, even if there just mud-stone there will still be iron deposits or veins in them...

Though since I dig via controlled atomization, I can't actually dig any out.

Least no one really has to do much dirt hauling.

 

[Vog]

Ken adjusted his Duel Disk as he took a seat at the bar. He'd finally made it to Cassaday, a small town where he'd heard he could find work. He hadn't managed to find out where people were hiring at but he figured the bar would work just fine, people tended to talk more here instead of on the street.

Taking a little money from his wallet he drew the attention of the barkeep and gestured towards someone else's drink, and inwardly hoped it would be good. The Shift had made talking far more...interesting for him. He could do little more than answer yes or no questions now and it made it hell to buy things.

After handing the barkeep his money he took a look around the room. As far as everything went the patrons were pretty normal...well Shift normal anyways. A Space Marine here, a catgirl there, pretty normal fare for a town. Turning his head to the end of the bar his eyes shot up in suprise. Was he really seeing a blue, dog thing?

<<Sorry for the suck guys. Been a while since I've tried to RP>>

 

[GhostElder]

Grasping the cup with both paws he lifted it to his muzzle. Drinking from cups was just a touch awkward and a little slow, but it was something of an affectation for him. Sipping at his drink he felt his tail start to sway back and forth on it's own, setting his cup down on the bar top with a pleased sigh, Chris felt himself relax a bit.

At least until the fur on the back or his neck prickled slightly and it felt as if someone was staring, again.

Turning to get a better look at the rest of the bar, tail slowing it's movements to a stop, he swept his red eyes over the crowd. Spotting the Duel Disk wearing patron down the bar, he raised an eyebrow at him. Finding no apparent pokeballs at the moment he managed to relax a bit again. At least it wasn't a little kid that was going to come over and yank on his tail or something.

Watching the room from his new position, he occasionally nursed his juice, though the bulk of his relaxed state was toned down. He should probably have a look at the rest of the newcomers soon, then find out when his shift for scouting was.

 

[shibosho]

"Ah, Overlord. Some of the green minions have returned from their scouting mission. Please return to the throne room so we can discuss the situation" A wizened voice said, echoing in Adrien's head. Adrien turned to the tower and let out a sigh. The novelty of telepathic communications had worn off a long while ago and now he simply found it irritating, "Well put up with it! Every Overlord needs to know how things are going and other what-nots and this is this most efficient way to go about it!"

Privacy of the mind was the major issue here. This had better be good, thought Adrien as he made his way back to the tower or what had been built so far. He really needed to find a way to speed up construction.

Inside the tower's throne room, a decrepit old minion, in robes which had a strange attachment on its back that acted as a lantern, was looking down into the portal. This minion's name was Gnarl and he was the minion master. He was also the advisor to the Overlord and all Overlords before Adrien.

Once upon a time, an old man wanting to look hip and young had decided that the best way to go about it would be to go and dress up as that Yoda character from Star Wars. Because of both his age and own personal likes, he had made some alterations to the yoda outfit. It was originally an attempt to make Yoda more dark and edgier. When the red shift had occurred, the old man did not turn into Darth Yoda. Sometime, just being close to another person in a certain outfit could alter the original concept of the outfit. It didn't help that this old man had snuck into a party and had decided to take a rest by taking a seat next to the guy in the Sauron outfit.

These days, Gnarl has no collections of ever being human other then Pre-shift Earth knowledge. Mind you though, Adrien was still waiting for the day when Gnarl suddenly decided to take out a lightsaber and flip the fuck out on everyone.

At the moment, after informing the Overlord of the return of the scouts, Gnarl took the opportunity to use the viewing portal for other purposes.

"Yeah! Shake that booty! Ah, the joys of this world! The lack of modesty and such amongst the females. Wonderful!"

Adrien long suspects that part of the reason why the old man's transformed into Gnarl instead of Yoda was that the old man was a dirty old man. The discussion about breasts he had with the man just before the Shift is probably the biggest evidence of this.

"Gnarl, I'm here. Stop peeping and tell me what the scouts have found. You can peep all you want afterwards."

"Ah! Overlord. We have much to discuss"

Such is the life of an Overlord.

 

[Latewave]

Overlooking the town of Cassady, Lance was making notes of the area around him. Things like the mercenary camp not having a banner of allegiance did not bode well for his hopes of getting paid multiple times. That had meant that the Mayor did not hire a Mercenary Band as he had hoped. Other things such as the construction of a tower did not miss observance and the power he felt meant a chance for him to sell his services.

"Why does this place lack suitable defensive walls? It's the only place one can cross the mountains here and it's between those two warlords What's his name and Something or other. Whatever, I can just offer to build the walls myself."

With that said Lance began walking towards the edge. The Crystal in his staff flashed and a platform jutted out of the Cliff face. Lance rode the platform down the cliff and towards the town.

 

[GhostElder]

Ugh he couldn't take it any more, downing his drink the pokemon got up off his stool and set off for the door at a brisk pace. He could not stand sitting still just this moment, he was probably antsy.

He'd make one pass by the small assembly of tents that marked the merc's area then head to the job board and see about his scout time, and if it was too far off try to negotiate, somehow.

Chris hated this sort of nervous energy he occationally got, he could not sit still for long anymore unless something was occupying his attention.

He really should have been a jedi, or a gallade or just something not a fighting pokemon on that faithful night. Maybe a lap around the village would help.

 

[Vog]

Ken was getting tired of being in this bar, pretending to sip on the drink he had bought. He couldn't identify the taste of the brew, all he knew is that is was really bitter and burned when it went down his throat.

The bar was, relativley, quiet too. Most everyone was either absorbed into their drinks or in whispered conversation. He was about to leave and wander around the town aimlessly when he noticed the Blue Dogman was exiting the bar. Maybe he knew where something was.....

 

[shibosho]

"Gnarl, are you telling me that the scouts have found evidence that a Tower Heart exists in this realm?!"

"Yes, Overlord. The minions have discovered faint traces of the Tower Heart's immense magical energies. We already have minions tracking down the Heart even as we speak."

Adrien nodded and turned away from Gnarl to allow the information to sink into his memory. This piece of news was extremely important. At least to the Overlord that is.

The Tower Heart, as recalled from his Overlord memories, was a large glowing magical orb that possessed great power. Originally it was used to power the dark tower. It did so by collecting magical energy from everything around it and grew in power with its Overlord. While possible to make a new one, it would require powerful spells, complex rituals, and the forced sacrifices of hundreds of innocents. Naturally, it was always better to use a Tower Heart from the previous rule than to make a new one.

Back in the realms that the Overlord originated from, the Tower Heart would activate the magical stone runes that acted as portals, allowing the Overlord to traverse great distances in mere moments. Not only that, it would heal and protect the Overlord and all who followed him in his own domain, making the Dark Tower a veritable Sanctuary for the Overlord and his followers. Adding to that, the Tower Heart could create beasts, monsters, and soldiers for the Overlord to hone his skills on within the Arena.

However, in this world of eternal Halloween, who knows what powers the Tower Heart could bestow upon those willing to take its immense power for themselves. The possibilities were mind-boggling. Adrien finished his musings and returned to addressing the situation.

"Gnarl! Ready the Buses. Gather the Minions and arm them with the best equipment we've got. When the trackers have located the Tower Heart, we move."

"Of course, Overlord. I shall begin preparations right away. The Tower Heart is vital to our survival and possibly the town as well. It wouldn't do for some half-wit hero type to accidentally blow himself up from trying to use the thing."

With that said, Overlord Adrien made haste to the forge. He would need to reinforce the arcane enchantments on his equipment after all. And maybe acquire some new equipment while he was at it.

 

[GhostElder]

His ear twitched, someone had come out after him from the bar, and was apparently following him. Instead of his original plan Chris made directly for the village square. He'd like to get some answers, but taking the time to scrawl it out on the ground when said person might be hostile...

Yeah he was making for one of the public areas instead, it would be somewhat easier, for him at least.

On reaching the village square, the Lucario went strait for the job board, which itself was actually a large chalk board with a little 'roof' over it. It saved on paper at least.

He started scanning down the list of scouts and times to see who he'd be paired with, they needed someone that could talk in case there was a report to make. His last attempt at miming that he'd found a nice ore vein had been less than stellar.

 

[Latewave]

The Wandering Mercenary Mage had finally made his way to the border town called Cassady. Lance was reviewing his mental checklist of what he should do.

1. Apply for Job with Mayor.
2. Check out Employer's house and think of ways to defend it.
3. Ask about the tunnel system he was feeling in the ground.
4. Check about that tower. It's unfinished and a good chance for more pay.
5. Ask about for the power he was feeling, as it had a decidedly evil taint to it.
6. Eat food.
7. Check for farmers to sell services to.
8. Check for the thieves market, they might have something useful.
9. Look for fruit seeds.
10. Look out for advance scouts from that one army, something or other.
11. PROFIT
12. Check for Scouts for either of the two armies that aren't supposed to come here.
13. Sleep.

With that in mind, he wandered around looking for the worse looking bar in town.

 

[Vog]

As the blue "Dogman", Ken's nickname for the creature, stopped at the board Ken hung back a few feet. He wasn't positive but he was sure that it was...suspicious of him.

It's not like he could blame him. If a silent stranger was following him he'd be freaked out too. Would probably bust out a card or two to get the creep off of him. Wait, the cards! They could do the talking for him...if they had timed back in that is. With a great bit of flair Ken laid one into his Duel Disk...

<<Sorry for the wait guys>>

 

[Aarik]

"HADOKEN!" Boredom does odd thing to people.

Miming street fighter attacks to dig was fun at least.

Hey... Which signal is that beeping, iron, impending cave-in, water, ale and whores, or paycheck?

Oh, Water about twenty feet or so down...

Is it enough to bother with...

Ehh, screw it, a few dead ends will help shake off pursuit in case of evacuation and we need all the resources we can get.

Straight down or spiral ramp...

Oh wait, most people can't climb sheer rock walls, ramp it is.

I'll collapse it and work on one straight up if they want a new well or something.

 

[shibosho]

"Giblet! Are the experimental equipment ready?" Adrien asked as he did his best to ignore the sweltering heat of the forge.

"Mmmph hmmm grmm!" Came the muffled reply of the masked brown minion. Giblet was a strange minion and Adrien suspected that he might have been a human engineer or metalworker before Halloween. Judging by some of the projects strewn haphazardly around the place, this was probably the case. Regardless, Giblet, after rescuing him from a pack of werewolves, soon became an invaluable part of the Dark Tower.

With his knowledge of both metal and dark magic, Giblet was able to churn out dozens of weapons and armours imbued with both lifeforce and dark energy. It is known that blessed weapons are the best kind of weapons to use against many of the predators that now exists in Hallowed Earth. Imbued with spiritual energy born from absolute faith in one's beliefs, monstrous creatures would burn on contact with these weapons and would usually find themselves in a pickle that few would survive.

It is, however, a common misconceptions that weapons that emanate dark energy or were thought of an unholy did very little against the creatures of the night. A weapon imbued with dark energy will become stronger, sharper, and far more deadlier then their unblessed and sometimes blessed counterparts. The downside was that such weapons would soon demand blood and those with weak minds would find themselves slaughtering everyone around them without abandon.

The Overlord and his minions do not have this problem. Being a magical being of dark magical energy, such weapons only gave him greater power at no cost at all. Minions were too stupid to have their minds taken over by uncontrollable bloodlust unless the Overlord used his berserk spell on them which made the weapons' curse a moot point in any case.

Right now though, Adrien was preparing for the retrieval of the Tower Heart by obtaining the latest in Overlord Weaponry. One such example was the giant chainsaw that Giblet was now passing over to Adrien.

"Nice! Powered by dark energy and doesn't need cleaning or anything? Great!"

"Mmmph Mmm Hmph!"

"This button?"

A small click and one desperate dive for cover later.

"Cool, but I think we need to find away to bring the blade back once it's been shot"

In the end, Overlord Adrien restricted himself to an Arcanium Warhammer, a Dark Halberd, and an enhanced battle gauntlet made for no hold bar beatdowns.

"Perfect! Now we hunt! Once the trackers have returned of course."

"Hmmm Hmm Hmmmmmph!"

"Overlord! We've got problems!" Came a telepathic telegram from Gnarl.

"What!?"

"Heroes, sire. A couple of wannabe heroes have come to challenge you, Overlord."

"Perfect! I need to test out my new weapons!" Adrien loved heroes. He loved watching would-be-heroes crumble and breakdown in the face of his evil greatness. With that, Adrien hurried out from the underground forge and back to the surface to crush these pathetic heroes that had the gall to challenge him.

Just a regular day for Overlord Adrien.

 

[GhostElder]

Chris huffed, he still had a while before his patrol. Though his ear twitched picking up on a couple of gossiping men, apparently another group of self proclaimed heroes were heading up to Adriens tower.

He facepawed.... facepalmed.... whatever it was worth another exasperated sigh. He'd better get up there, it would be best if Adrien had a witness that they accosted him first, aside from the minions. Maybe he could even keep them from getting killed, unless it was a 'team hawk' sort of group, then he was very likely to assist Adrien.

He took off for the mayors office at a run dodging around the other townsfolk, it was at the end of the square, if he was quick he could grab the clip board that had been prepped for this sort of thing. It had phrases like 'He's not Hurting anyone' And 'You attacked him first' which were occasionally useful after Adrien smacked the 'heroes' around a bit and they were finally ready to listen to reason.