The Noble Scoundrel
The Eccentric
So, I've come up with a pretty solid storyline for any who are interested. It would be wonderful if anyone could join in with helping me refine and flesh out a cool new expansion of RP for those who want more really cool character development and an awesome story told.
[SIZE=18.6667px]Deep in the thralls of Unknown Space, a new threat bides its time: The Dark Swarm! Aided by their vanguard brethren and mysterious figureheads of power, the stage is being set for the galactic arrival of the Dark Swarm.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=18.6667px]Around the galaxy, men and women of experienced service are being eliminated by unknown assailant(s). Only one thing binds all these cases together: they are all people who are known for their leadership ability. Civilian, Military, Political, Criminal; It mattered not. The victims, capable as they were, are not notable enough to make big waves in the galactic media.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=18.6667px]Only now, after so many have been killed, are special individuals taking notice of this seemingly unimportant trend in a galaxy with its own numerous troubles to deal with. An anonymous source reaches out with information regarding future targets of this mysterious force’s ire…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Welcome to my first attempt at a grand storyline arc for Star War Role Playing dot net.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Upfront premises: There are two groups at work behind the veil of chaos that reigns in the Star Wars universe of SWRP: The Dark Swarm and The Inner Circle.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Dark Swarm: Creatures of neither the Dark nor the Light side of the Force, the Dark Swarm is the work of unknown origin; a result of powerful beings tampering too deeply with the dark side of the Force that goes much further than the simple characterization of negativity. Resembling deep sea eels, these dark creatures can glide through the atmosphere and space itself. The only known obstruction to this uncanny ability to travel is that acidic cause them to clump together like penguins in snow, thus reducing their mobility and restricting them to moving along the ground, but providing a protection against the acidic elements.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Dark Swarm are all comprised of what the layman would label as “Black Goo”. In normal form, they have a snake-like consistency. However, damage done to them will make them lose form and devolve into a mass of “Black Goo”. Although the scientific divination as to what these creatures truly are is too difficult to assess without the proper research, there are plenty of things to learn about them with simple observation.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]+Agile: Dark Swarm are very agile, flexible and quick. They can squeeze their oily and squishy bodies through cracks and holes that would originally seem too small even for them, like ferrets are capable of. They use swarming hit and run tactics and prefer to stay on the move unless they’ve successfully found a victim to collectively engorge upon.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]+Swarm Tactics: Each swarm group in the main Dark Swarm forces are comprised of hundreds, if not thousands of individual eel-like creatures at a time. Total Dark Swarm forces are unknown and difficult to tell due to their unique regeneration ability, but it is safe to assume that there are much, much more where they came from. Only Heralds act alone. The rest of the Dark Swarm use the advantages of sheer numbers and ferocity to attain their goal of domination.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]+Regeneration: After being smashed to goo, the goo will stay on the walls, ground, ceiling, whatever for a short amount of time. After a few minutes, the goo retreats at a very slow pace. After about 30 minutes, all of the goo will attempt to coalesce into an amorphous blob. After a minute of maintain blob status, it will burst forth into a horde of Dark Spawn once more and rinse and repeat. If the plain goo is, at any point, subjected to bright light, it will begin to evaporate into a most foul and potentially nauseating, but harmless smoke.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]+Infectious Bite: If a Dark Swarm eel bites you and holds on for more than 5 seconds, it will have had the opportunity to release Dark Swarm bile into you. The pain is sharp and causes a burning sensation as the bile deadens any nearby nerve endings. After a minute, the wound will not cause any more pain. If untreated, the bile will spread to the blood stream within about 22 to 24 hours and initiate transformation, deteriorating the body. This transformation will cause intense pain. (Reference the Husks from Mass Effect, but the transformation is not that fast)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]It can be treated by shining bright light onto the bite until the bile is evaporated. The length of time needed to shine light on the wound depends on how long it’s taken a person to receive treatment. It could range from 7 minutes to an hour.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]+/-Hive Mind: Dark Swarm act as a unit, but there’s no sense of military or experienced coordination. Attack patterns are simple and dogged. There’s no sense of tactics other than “kill them together” and attack at night. If they can’t bite people to death, they will crush them with sheer numbers and force or collapse heavy rubble on top of them and then wiggle out of the ruin’s cracks.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]-Weak Constitution: One bullet or blaster bolt and BOOM! They’re gone. They’re just a gore-tascular splatter of black goo. However, that goo eventually slides away and retreats until it reaches its state of regeneration. The threat will come back.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Typical Dark Swarm are one and a half feet. A Herald Dark Swarm is a meter (three feet) long and twice as thick. Its combat prowess is more visceral and savage than any other plain Dark Swarm eel. It can sustain much more damage across its body before succumbing to deconstructing into black goo.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Heralds have been sent out into the galaxy and are being directed by The Inner Circle to target few select, key targets and kill all others that are considered leaders among sentients, but not influential enough to create waves in the galaxy as a whole. As time draws near for the Dark Swarm to make itself known to the galaxy, higher value targets that are much too strong willed to be converted into The Inner Circle are being slated for destruction.[/SIZE]
The Inner Circle: This group consists of five of the most influential and discrete members in this galaxy unknown to many. Picture them as the Illuminati. The first member came upon the Dark Swarm by shear mishap and was converted to their cause. He is deluded into thinking that he can control them all in the end as long as he helps them attain control over the galaxy first. He used his own resources to find out and convert similar members to “his cause”. They, too, are hopelessly under control, although you and they wouldn’t know it.
These are The Inner Circle members:
1.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Jaga’ihow’riaci (Chiss)
a.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]The genius strategist of the group
2.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Biff Tanerim (Twi’lek)
a.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Handles finances
3.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Anora Williams (Human)
a.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Works her contacts and diplomatic relations to provide opportunities and stave off attention to them.
4.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Beng Veru (Nautolan)
a.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Discouraged military vet of the Republic. Believed to be dead.
5.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Fiki R’hano (Bith)
a.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Maintains and provides most lines of communication with the Dark Swarm
The difference between a bite conversion and The Inner Circle is that a bite forcibly mutates a body over time into a twisted servant that is less than what the person originally was. Each of the Circle members maintain an attachment with a Dark Swarm eel discretely as a form of symbiosis and, therefore, maintain their health and appearance. In fact, their eel tend to allow slightly increased mental and physical capabilities.
As planned, one of the members of The Inner Circle reach out with utmost anonymity to select special organizations and drop info on the related link between these all these seemingly separated crimes, who the next targets are going to be and when they’ll happen.
From there, I have a loose list of events that can happen. This list is the in-between filler between beginning and end game. It is subject to change and collaboration to flesh it out is very welcome.
Once The Inner Circle is dealt with and the Dark Swarm invasion is thwarted, select few will find coordinates among the belongings of The Inner Circle members to the source of the Dark Swarm while many others involved will relax and believe that it’s all over. These few (hopefully, the players most involved in the storyline) will take the map out to the space station all the way out in Unknown Territory and discover a space station completely covered in black goo.
To remove the threat, those involved must have researched and discovered the Dark Swarm’s weaknesses, weaponized them and made a way to remove the threat all at once. The “nerve center” that would ensure complete destruction of the station and Dark Swarm is in its most protected area inside the space station. A team of hardened individuals will have to attempt this “suicide mission” in hopes of reaching the target and planting the means of the Dark Swarm’s destruction.
However, there is a major twist. The reason they wanted to remove small leaders throughout the galaxy was to go up against less prepared/organized military during their conquest. The reason that exceptional individual were spared from the rout was because the Dark Swarm’s ultimate goal was to find the perfect leader. Their creators were long gone. The Inner Circle was comprised of very good candidates, but anyone who defeated them were surely much more worthy.
The Dark Swarm collective is strongest at its “nerve center”. There, the Dark Swarm collective can attempt semi-telepathic, semi-physical communication with anyone. They will offer any of the heroes the opportunity to take control of the Dark Swarm and command them as they see fit. But, only one may hold the position…
Well, that’s as much as my brain could creatively throw up as possible. I’m tired. Tell me what you think!
[SIZE=17.3333px](Warning: This is my work in progress for an in-depth story line to introduce for those interested in character development and a good story. The story is subject to change as I collaborate and refine my brain child with the help of others and fresh thinking sessions. If you read too far, you will be subject to spoiling yourself with any twists and turns I inject into the plot. The majority of this document is to pitch a potential story and intrigue people, but I’m putting it all out on the table here. That way, those who are reading this to help collaborate can see what I intend for the twists along the way and the end game. Most spoilers will come up during and after my explanation about The Inner Circle.)[/SIZE]
Star Wars: Tales of the Dark
[SIZE=18.6667px]The galaxy is in constant motion. Factions rise and fall. Territory is snatched up and fought over in wake of reality-shattering events. The light backstabs and the dark makes nice. The galaxy’s state of Chaos is a perfect breeding ground for stranger things to go unnoticed…until it is too late.[/SIZE][SIZE=18.6667px]Deep in the thralls of Unknown Space, a new threat bides its time: The Dark Swarm! Aided by their vanguard brethren and mysterious figureheads of power, the stage is being set for the galactic arrival of the Dark Swarm.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=18.6667px]Around the galaxy, men and women of experienced service are being eliminated by unknown assailant(s). Only one thing binds all these cases together: they are all people who are known for their leadership ability. Civilian, Military, Political, Criminal; It mattered not. The victims, capable as they were, are not notable enough to make big waves in the galactic media.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=18.6667px]Only now, after so many have been killed, are special individuals taking notice of this seemingly unimportant trend in a galaxy with its own numerous troubles to deal with. An anonymous source reaches out with information regarding future targets of this mysterious force’s ire…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Welcome to my first attempt at a grand storyline arc for Star War Role Playing dot net.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Upfront premises: There are two groups at work behind the veil of chaos that reigns in the Star Wars universe of SWRP: The Dark Swarm and The Inner Circle.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Dark Swarm: Creatures of neither the Dark nor the Light side of the Force, the Dark Swarm is the work of unknown origin; a result of powerful beings tampering too deeply with the dark side of the Force that goes much further than the simple characterization of negativity. Resembling deep sea eels, these dark creatures can glide through the atmosphere and space itself. The only known obstruction to this uncanny ability to travel is that acidic cause them to clump together like penguins in snow, thus reducing their mobility and restricting them to moving along the ground, but providing a protection against the acidic elements.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Dark Swarm are all comprised of what the layman would label as “Black Goo”. In normal form, they have a snake-like consistency. However, damage done to them will make them lose form and devolve into a mass of “Black Goo”. Although the scientific divination as to what these creatures truly are is too difficult to assess without the proper research, there are plenty of things to learn about them with simple observation.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]+Agile: Dark Swarm are very agile, flexible and quick. They can squeeze their oily and squishy bodies through cracks and holes that would originally seem too small even for them, like ferrets are capable of. They use swarming hit and run tactics and prefer to stay on the move unless they’ve successfully found a victim to collectively engorge upon.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]+Swarm Tactics: Each swarm group in the main Dark Swarm forces are comprised of hundreds, if not thousands of individual eel-like creatures at a time. Total Dark Swarm forces are unknown and difficult to tell due to their unique regeneration ability, but it is safe to assume that there are much, much more where they came from. Only Heralds act alone. The rest of the Dark Swarm use the advantages of sheer numbers and ferocity to attain their goal of domination.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]+Regeneration: After being smashed to goo, the goo will stay on the walls, ground, ceiling, whatever for a short amount of time. After a few minutes, the goo retreats at a very slow pace. After about 30 minutes, all of the goo will attempt to coalesce into an amorphous blob. After a minute of maintain blob status, it will burst forth into a horde of Dark Spawn once more and rinse and repeat. If the plain goo is, at any point, subjected to bright light, it will begin to evaporate into a most foul and potentially nauseating, but harmless smoke.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]+Infectious Bite: If a Dark Swarm eel bites you and holds on for more than 5 seconds, it will have had the opportunity to release Dark Swarm bile into you. The pain is sharp and causes a burning sensation as the bile deadens any nearby nerve endings. After a minute, the wound will not cause any more pain. If untreated, the bile will spread to the blood stream within about 22 to 24 hours and initiate transformation, deteriorating the body. This transformation will cause intense pain. (Reference the Husks from Mass Effect, but the transformation is not that fast)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]It can be treated by shining bright light onto the bite until the bile is evaporated. The length of time needed to shine light on the wound depends on how long it’s taken a person to receive treatment. It could range from 7 minutes to an hour.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]+/-Hive Mind: Dark Swarm act as a unit, but there’s no sense of military or experienced coordination. Attack patterns are simple and dogged. There’s no sense of tactics other than “kill them together” and attack at night. If they can’t bite people to death, they will crush them with sheer numbers and force or collapse heavy rubble on top of them and then wiggle out of the ruin’s cracks.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]-Weak Constitution: One bullet or blaster bolt and BOOM! They’re gone. They’re just a gore-tascular splatter of black goo. However, that goo eventually slides away and retreats until it reaches its state of regeneration. The threat will come back.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Typical Dark Swarm are one and a half feet. A Herald Dark Swarm is a meter (three feet) long and twice as thick. Its combat prowess is more visceral and savage than any other plain Dark Swarm eel. It can sustain much more damage across its body before succumbing to deconstructing into black goo.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=17.3333px]Heralds have been sent out into the galaxy and are being directed by The Inner Circle to target few select, key targets and kill all others that are considered leaders among sentients, but not influential enough to create waves in the galaxy as a whole. As time draws near for the Dark Swarm to make itself known to the galaxy, higher value targets that are much too strong willed to be converted into The Inner Circle are being slated for destruction.[/SIZE]
The Inner Circle: This group consists of five of the most influential and discrete members in this galaxy unknown to many. Picture them as the Illuminati. The first member came upon the Dark Swarm by shear mishap and was converted to their cause. He is deluded into thinking that he can control them all in the end as long as he helps them attain control over the galaxy first. He used his own resources to find out and convert similar members to “his cause”. They, too, are hopelessly under control, although you and they wouldn’t know it.
These are The Inner Circle members:
1.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Jaga’ihow’riaci (Chiss)
a.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]The genius strategist of the group
2.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Biff Tanerim (Twi’lek)
a.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Handles finances
3.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Anora Williams (Human)
a.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Works her contacts and diplomatic relations to provide opportunities and stave off attention to them.
4.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Beng Veru (Nautolan)
a.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Discouraged military vet of the Republic. Believed to be dead.
5.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Fiki R’hano (Bith)
a.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Maintains and provides most lines of communication with the Dark Swarm
The difference between a bite conversion and The Inner Circle is that a bite forcibly mutates a body over time into a twisted servant that is less than what the person originally was. Each of the Circle members maintain an attachment with a Dark Swarm eel discretely as a form of symbiosis and, therefore, maintain their health and appearance. In fact, their eel tend to allow slightly increased mental and physical capabilities.
As planned, one of the members of The Inner Circle reach out with utmost anonymity to select special organizations and drop info on the related link between these all these seemingly separated crimes, who the next targets are going to be and when they’ll happen.
From there, I have a loose list of events that can happen. This list is the in-between filler between beginning and end game. It is subject to change and collaboration to flesh it out is very welcome.
1.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]These anonymous tips are answered by special individuals and organizations and come face to face with the threat that is the Heralds.
2.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Investigate leads to find out about The Inner Circle.
3.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Survive isolated incursions with Dark Swarm forces.
4.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Attempt to keep the situation under wraps to avoid wide-spread panic or attempt to get the truth about the existence of the Dark Swarm out to everyone.
5.[SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE][SIZE=9.33333px] [/SIZE]Confront and overcome The Inner Circle.
Once The Inner Circle is dealt with and the Dark Swarm invasion is thwarted, select few will find coordinates among the belongings of The Inner Circle members to the source of the Dark Swarm while many others involved will relax and believe that it’s all over. These few (hopefully, the players most involved in the storyline) will take the map out to the space station all the way out in Unknown Territory and discover a space station completely covered in black goo.
To remove the threat, those involved must have researched and discovered the Dark Swarm’s weaknesses, weaponized them and made a way to remove the threat all at once. The “nerve center” that would ensure complete destruction of the station and Dark Swarm is in its most protected area inside the space station. A team of hardened individuals will have to attempt this “suicide mission” in hopes of reaching the target and planting the means of the Dark Swarm’s destruction.
[SIZE=26.6667px]Definitely a Spoiler![/SIZE]
However, there is a major twist. The reason they wanted to remove small leaders throughout the galaxy was to go up against less prepared/organized military during their conquest. The reason that exceptional individual were spared from the rout was because the Dark Swarm’s ultimate goal was to find the perfect leader. Their creators were long gone. The Inner Circle was comprised of very good candidates, but anyone who defeated them were surely much more worthy.
The Dark Swarm collective is strongest at its “nerve center”. There, the Dark Swarm collective can attempt semi-telepathic, semi-physical communication with anyone. They will offer any of the heroes the opportunity to take control of the Dark Swarm and command them as they see fit. But, only one may hold the position…
Well, that’s as much as my brain could creatively throw up as possible. I’m tired. Tell me what you think!
