Empire’s Embers

^{Here is where you’ll find information concerning the ‘Empire’s Embers’ campaign, now complete!
For latest updates, see footer.}Summary
An overview of the campaign, short recaps of individual events, and logs from each event.Biographies
Information on significant NPCs as well as certain PCs to explain their role in the campaign for newcomers.Combat
The current combat system, explained.About
Content warnings & ramblings about authorial intent.

Overview - Recaps & Logs

The Unsung
The Unsung are a band of freelance adventurers. Based primarily in Gridania, their meeting point being Buscarron’s Druthers, the Unsung are led by a levemete (initially Sven Cloudwrath, followed by As’kari, now currently Cain Locke) and have taken on a broad scope of levequests both within and beyond the forest nation-state. Although they are not contractually bound the way a Free Company is, many of the same faces and names have lent their skill at arms, smarts, and resources to the Unsung for many years.Garlemald
Sven Cloudwrath stepped down as levemete when his wife Adra Cloudwrath, who he thought had perished in an airship crash some years prior, returned and urged him to resume his occupation as airship captain. As’kari, a familiar face among the Unsung, took over at this time.Moons later, Sven returned with grave news: His wife had vanished. Her disappearance coincided with rumours of civil unrest in Garlemald—a significant detail, as he revealed that she was a pureblood Garlean, born and raised in the capital and that his loyalties aligned with hers. He entreated the Unsung’s assistance in finding her even so, suspecting that she had returned to her homeland, and they agreed.The adventurers travelled there aboard Sven’s airship, where they were greeted with the sight of the Garlean capital levelled and ablaze. Only the sound of nationalistic anthems played continuously through their radios spared them from the tower’s tempering influence.They combed through the ruins, and encountered a number of survivors, including a young girl, her family, assorted civilians, and the soldiers protecting them. Following Adra’s trail, the group joined forces to fight their way clear of the capital and its myriad dangers, plying their allies with the promise of being able to untemper the tempered.Eventually, they were able to locate Adra herself—just as the fears and desperation of the survivors began to boil over, leading to one of the survivors attempting to hit the Unsung with a Reaper magitek’s blast—it instead released a pulse of electromagnetic disruption, damaging the radio, though the Unsung were able to repair it to working order with quick thinking and a supply of levin.The Unsung returned to Eorzea with the survivors who preferred to escape the devastation—a bureaucratic official, his wife, his daughter, a soldier named Garimus, and the Bozjan soldier untempered by the Unsung to prove their ability to do so.Empire’s Embers
Following the events of the Garlemald campaign, Sven surrendered himself into the custody of an individual with whom he had history going by the alias of ‘The Arbiter’ who had promised to mete out a ‘proportionate serving of justice’ for his perceived crimes in return for the protection of the Garlean refugees aboard the Cetea, as well as that of Sven and his wife.Concerned for his welfare, an impatient Adra rallied the Unsung to go after him, understanding his whereabouts to be somewhere in the Peaks. They searched a small, isolated town, where they learnt that former conscripts were being targeted—a farmhand had been burnt to death recently.This event spurred the other conscripts in the town to leave, fearing that they might be next. While continuing their search higher into the Peaks, following a set of cart tracks that proved to be their best lead, the Unsung were ambushed by this band of fleeing conscripts who fired upon them in the ruins of an outpost.They were subdued by the Unsung, and it turned out a mysterious third party had led the band to believe that the Unsung were coming to kill them. The ex-conscripts had formed an intelligence/support network between themselves and others in their position to help one another stay informed and keep safe. This third party had either infiltrated it from the beginning or hijacked it for their purposes. It remains unclear which is the case.The Unsung had the grace to patch the band up and then continued on their way, where their hunt finally led them to a ruined building. They found it to be abandoned, albeit mildly trapped, and had to navigate a greased stairway to locate Sven. The captain was found in poor condition, dehydrated and severely bruised.When Sven had recovered from his ordeal, he shared some details about his captor and a task she bade him complete. He did not think that she was responsible for the burning of the ex-conscript, though he stressed that she was not to be taken lightly. Her terms were thus: Sven/his crew/the Unsung do her mission, and she lets him, his wife, and the refugees be.The mission: Find a Garlean squadron labelled as deserters who went AWOL in the Black Shroud. The main motivation for doing this was as follows: During one of their missions, they had opted to attack a Resistance base knowing there were children and civilians present. For that reason, ‘the Arbiter’ wants them captured, preferably alive, and brought to her.Sven managed to compile a dossier on the squadron, or what remained of it.Investigations conducted by the Unsung managed to corroborate the allegations: The squadron were classed as deserters up until the fall of the Empire, and the Resistance hideaway they brought down did house children and civilians at the time according to Resistance records on the incident.But where were they?Empire’s Embers pt. II
Despite their best efforts, the trail ended there. The squadron were proving elusive, until a fortuitous levequest fell into the Unsung’s laps. A bumbling Wailer reported that there was evidence of old, abandoned warmachina being scavenged from a magitek graveyard in the Eastern Shroud.The Unsung agreed to investigate. When they arrived, they were approached by a miqo’te named Nura and her clan of misfits, the ‘Farsent’. She warned the Unsung to steer clear of their operations. After she left, the adventurers encountered a little funguar associate of Millie’s who revealed that Millie had been kidnapped by the selfsame clan they’d just met.They regrouped to prepare, then followed the Farsent into the Deepest Shroud. There, they found more of the scrap warmachina in various states of dismantlement, obviously being put to some use. Advancing, they came across the Farsent’s settlement, cobbled together from scrap, with magitek devices set up throughout the outpost powered by aether.After questioning the Farsent—and finding them to be stubbornly tight-lipped—the Unsung left to consider their strategy. Redgar, having managed to pick up a lead on Millie’s whereabouts, followed it… but when he didn’t return, the Unsung set off after him.In the Farsent’s settlement, the Unsung were ambushed with gunfire. The medicus Okhi’to revealed himself, and the Farsent attempted to drive the Unsung away with a fierce show of force. Okhi’to’s barriers protected them, while Charlette’s protected the adventurers.Better armed and trained, the Unsung prevailed, driving the Farsent off with no casualties on either side. They took Okhi’to into custody. He was interrogated afterwards, and explained his and his squadron’s reasons for carrying out the orders of which they were accused. He also described their plan to offer Gridania the option to leash their Elemental masters, and let slip J’nairoh’s involvement in tempering a tribe of Seekers that allies of the Unsung belong to.With much to consider, they agreed for now to attempt the path of diplomacy. Reaching out to Cadmus through a radio channel, they sought to determine his motivations and negotiate his squadron’s surrender. He refused them bluntly, even when Okhi’to was allowed to plead his case.There was no other option but to go down there after the rest of the squadron, but not before making sure the Farsent were safe from the potential of the Arbiter’s retribution, at Okhi’to’s earnest request. When they went to find them, the clan met them armed and ready—or so they thought, until they saw through Cillenne’s illusions and realised the ethereal wildwood was the only one left. The rest, they revealed, had gone below ground with Cadmus.Heading into the facility, the Unsung ventured deeper until they came to a room filled with autonomous spider drones of various sizes, reconstructing the facility piece by piece. Okhi’to revealed that due to their limited manpower, they had to rely on Yuyuno’s management of this minute army.As expected, the drones turned on the Unsung abruptly, accompanied by the threatening voice of Yuyuno. They were almost overwhelmed before Charlette let loose the ace up her sleeve, a handheld EMP. With the drones defeated, the group proceeded to confront Yuyuno herself, piloting a scorpion tank. They brought her and the vehicle down after a hectic battle, took her into custody, and prepared to push forward.They found the Farsent next, holed up and ready for a fight. Cillenne stepped forward glamoured as Cadmus and ordered them to evacuate, but before he could convince them, J’nairoh emerged from deeper in the facility and called his bluff.She attacked him to try and break the illusion, and battle broke out. The Unsung talked the Farsent down despite the chaos, who were persuaded to evacuate with Okhi’to’s protection and guidance as the Unsung kept J’nairoh busy.J’nairoh proved a dangerous threat, avoiding their strikes with ease while delivering her own with frightening speed. Her luck ran out eventually, and the Unsung were able to land enough strikes to render her unable to continue fighting. Just as they were about to detain her, a dreadful tremor rocked the facility.The Unsung were thrown to the ground, and the lights winked out.They gathered their bearings, immersed in darkness. Adra, Okhi’to, Cillenne, along with the Farsent and a captive Yuyuno, headed back the way the Unsung had come to escape the facility, leaving the Unsung to press onward alone.Bringing a bound, incapacitated J’nairoh with them, they ventured forward into the heart of the facility, where Millie’s funguar companion led them to her location. There, they found her and Cadmus… and the Elemental Cadmus’ squadron had captured and subdued.Cadmus ascertained the welfare of his squadron and the Farsent, then urged the Unsung to leave with Millie. They convinced her to go with them when it was clear that the Elemental’s wrath could not be abated through negotiation, leaving Cadmus behind to buy time for their escape.They managed to make their way out of the facility despite the forest itself bursting through the walls, fighting off treants formed of root and rock, sprites, and earthen golems. Behind them, roots closed off and swallowed the facility.The crew of the Cetea escorted them back aboard the airship to rest and recover from their ordeal. In the end, Cadmus was the only casualty.—Fin—

There are some issues with the way that logs have been cleaned up that led to text inside [brackets] being removed, including most rolls, and some OOC chatter or /tells have been pruned, but for the most part, they are intact and complete. If there is something you would prefer to see changed or censored, let me know.

Sven Was Taken [ Log ]
^12/01/23

Adra gathered the Unsung together to catch up with the Garlean refugees aboard the Cetea: The Censor Cilarus goe Strados, his wife, Landris dus Strados, their daughter Regula, and the soldier Garimus.The Unsung learnt of their plans and intentions for the future. Cilarus sought stability and safety for his family. Garimus was seeking work, though as a pureblood Garlean, he acknowledged that it might be difficult to find, even with his talent for putting together and handling munitions.After a while, Adra interrupted the reunion and called the Unsung to the meeting room. There, she revealed that Sven had voluntarily surrendered himself to the custody of an individual acting independent of the nations for the purpose of meting out their definition of ‘justice’ for his perceived crimes.She didn’t know who this individual was, and she certainly didn’t trust them. Although they had pledged to release Sven in good time when they were done with him, alive and supposedly well, Adra had no faith in their promise and entreated the Unsung’s assistance in searching for him.

To the Peaks [ Log ]
^27/01/23

The Cetea took off, its destination and purpose decided.Aboard was the crew of the Cetea, its acting captain Adra Cloudwrath, the Unsung, and the four Garleans that called the ship their home in the interim.The journey wasn't a long one, certainly not as long as the voyage to Garlemald, but they'd still spend several suns in the skies. During that time, the crew went about their business at Adra's direction.There was a board set up in the barracks, which they shared with Garimus, who was all too eager to hear of their plans, though he'd relay that he had been strictly advised to abstain from participating in any search for his own safety.The board detailed what they'd discovered so far, in brief, and their intentions: They knew Sven was likely being held somewhere in the Peaks by at least one agent who belonged to a splintered faction of formerly Griffin-aligned Resistance members. That person went by the moniker 'The Arbiter'. There was a cart that might offer some clues as to their whereabouts, and perhaps the locals would have more to say on a sequence of suspicious murders - when they arrived.

The Town [ Log ]
^03/02/23

After landing in Ala Mhigo, the Unsung explored a remote town situated in the Peaks. They spoke to its people, and learnt from them that the townsfolk...》Had very little,
》Recently experienced a murder, and
》Didn't much want to talk about point 2.Further investigations revealed that the young man killed was a former conscript working for the farm.

The Town pt. II [ Log ]
^10/02/23

While investigating the tent where the man had burned to ash, a white griffin feather was found amidst the ashes, perhaps a calling card.The Unsung were ambushed by wildlife at that point, though they drove the beasts off with minimal injury. The townsfolk rallied to make sure they didn't return, and also to investigate whether they might have been lured to the farm.What everyone did from there was up to them, though Adra had suggested that they stay at the Cetea for the night to rally and recover before setting out through a southern mountain pass. The cart they were pursuing had allegedly been seen heading in that direction.The skycutters they relied upon to ferry them to and from the ship could take them back to the village, but it wasn't possible to follow cart tracks from the sky, so hoofing it was the way.

On the Trail [ Log ]
^17/02/23

Up into the Peaks journeyed the Unsung, following the tracks that may lead them to Sven’s location. The mountain pass was hot, and the ascent was tiring. As the path started to plateau out, the tracks began to fade as dust and sand gave way to the stone path of a ruined Ala Mhigan outpost.The Unsung filtered through the ruins, looking for clues as to Sven’s further whereabouts, as the cart that brought him there must have passed through along its way.Without warning, they were suddenly fired upon from above by gunmen situated upon a stone column overlooking the ruins. They ran for cover while scouring the cliffs for sight of their attackers, and returned fire. After a tense, vicious fight, their foes were overcome and defeated, but left alive and intact.(Important Information)
In the aftermath, the Unsung sought to learn why they had been fired upon. The band turned out to be a group of ex-conscripts who had fled from the town the Unsung had just left after one of their own was burned.The ex-conscripts in the region had formed an information and support network to keep in touch and stay safe from retributive justice from their vengeful countrymen. Using this communication network, an unknown but presumably trustworthy party had sent them a messenger hawk informing them that the Unsung had been hired by the townsfolk to chase down and kill them.After assuring the band that this was not the case, the Unsung quickly surmised that the person responsible for burning the farmhand was also probably the one who sent the false message, suggesting their progress was being monitored.As gracious as ever, the Unsung patched up the band a bit, and in return, the leader of the group offered them advice on how to pursue Sven’s trail as, for now, the mystery of the message’s sender could not take priority.

Sven [ Log ]
^03/03/23

The Unsung find Sven tied up, beaten and dehydrated in the cellar of an old outpost.(Important Information)
Their combined light pushed back the shadows that initially welcomed them, illuminating a set of dusty, charred stairs. The fire didn't seem to have been recent, but the choking scent of ash still lingered. Ahead of them, there were crates, sacks, furniture. Tables, chairs. Some of it was burnt- some, not.They vow to get him home safe. There are questions in need of answers, and Sven holds those answers.

Sven Explains [ Log ]
^10/03/23

(Important Information) (If you read one log, read this one)
Sven explained what happened to him and what he knew of his captor, ‘the Arbiter’. Having revealed his allegiances to the Unsung prior to embarking on the quest to find his wife during the Garlemald campaign, Sven had agreed to turn himself in if the Unsung helped him to find his missing wife.The reminder of his loyalties came as a surprise to some of the Unsung, and the discussion was briefly side-tracked with a conversation about where Sven’s sympathies lay and if he’d been an active agent while working with the Unsung.Rather than ending up with the Ala Mhigan authorities however, he found himself in the custody of ‘the Arbiter’.He informed the Unsung that she set him on a mission to track down the deserters who killed her husband, children, and entire cell. He provided them with a dossier based on intelligence the Arbiter herself had gathered on the squadron.DossierThe Unsung vowed to verify the information contained within the dossier, though most were in agreement that if the intel was verifiable, the squadron needed to be brought to justice.On a small but significant tangent, Sven did not believe that the Arbiter was personally responsible for the spate of burnings although she did not have an alibi and it would have been poetically just considering that her family burned.
Another small detail was that Rkah received a slightly different dossier. (See: Insert name of event where we learn what Nairoh did to the Ananta)

The Search Begins [ Log ]
^24/03/23

Adra and Sven meet up with a few of the Unsung to let them know the Cetea might have to take on some privateering missions to help pay for the fuel, provisions, and manpower that will be required to pursue the squadron. (Prelude to Tall Tales)No significant information has been uncovered as yet. The squadron have covered their tracks well, as could be expected of soldiers of their calibre.

Interlude
(Seven months of it. Oops.)

The Levequest [ Log ]
^12/10/23

At Buscarron’s, the Unsung were approached by a Wood Wailer recruit going by the name of ‘Recruit Benoit’, under a Captain Valensin.The clumsy recruit fumbled and bumbled his way through a number of mishaps before managing to convey that he was searching for local levemetes. Having found Cain, he proceeded to explain that he had been tasked with offering a levequest to a willing levemete!According to the recruit, a number of ruined warmachina in East Shroud have been disturbed, dismantled, and in some cases, stolen wholesale since the capture of Baelsar’s Wall.The Unsung have agreed to look into who might be responsible.

Warmachina Investigation [ Log ]
^13/10/23

The Unsung travelled to East Shroud to investigate the reports of disappearing warmachina. There, they found magitek in a state of disrepair, though there was evidence that some parts might be salvageable, and further signs that someone had attempted to do exactly that.In the process of searching the area, the Unsung discovered that there were faint signals from powered magitek machina somewhere. They also discovered a lost funguar hiding in the trees that turned out to be a companion of Millie’s! It indicated that Millie was missing.They settled on looking further into the drag marks leading to the edge of the platform they found themselves upon. It overlooked an abyss that led into the true ‘deep Shroud’, a dark chasm from which the eldest sentinel trees arose, their roots too far below to be seen.While they studied the chasm and debated the best way to navigate its depths, they were approached by a lone miqo’te of the clans. She warned them against proceeding, explaining that they trespassed upon the lands of her clan, the Farsent. She gave the impression that they were a struggling people, driven to the outskirts by others competing for the Shroud’s limited resources.She admitted that it was her people who had been salvaging the wreckage and suggested that they look into the matter no further, then took her leave—tipping off the ledge and descending into the depths by way of a glider strapped to her back.Millie’s mushroom companion elaborated further, communicating with them through a discharge of spores, that the Hearer had been taken—likely by the Farsent. The Unsung decided to regroup and chart a course of action before embarking on what was shaping up to be a rescue mission.The Conjurers’ Guild confirmed Millie’s disappearance.

Meeting the Farsent [ Log ]
^20/10/23

Utilising any and all means at their disposal, the Unsung descended into the depths of the ‘Deepest Shroud’, a region of East Shroud so far beneath the villages and thoroughfares of the Twelveswood that virtually no light pierced its layers of leafy canopy.There, they found more of the scrap machina that the Farsent had been salvaging—a veritable graveyard of it. It wasn’t long before they encountered a scout, a duskwight who introduced himself as Levandir… of the Farsent. He politely informed them that they were trespassing, though his curiosity got the better of him when Unsung’s own duskwight stepped in to convince him to allow them to proceed.Along with his wolf companion, who’d been watching from the shadows, he guided them to the Farsent’s settlement. Scrap from fallen machina had been fashioned into structures, forming a rusted village deep below the forest that was primarily home to what seemed to be a clan of miqo’te and duskwight, but also housed a wildwood and a hyur. A curious and eclectic mix of cultures.Nura chastised her fellow Farsent for leading them back there, but she was put at ease by Red’s empathy for their circumstances, and grudgingly allowed them to search the village for Millie to put their minds at ease.The Unsung branched out to speak to the Farsent. They noted that the group made use of repurposed and revitalised magitek gadgets using aether as a fuel source rather than ceruleum, which they admitted was scarce.It came to light that some of Millie’s clothing was in the hyur’s possession, and he slipped up attempting to trade it away to Red. A tense situation was defused, and Red walked away with a map that allegedly indicated where the clothing had been ‘found’.Before parting ways, Red informed the Unsung that he intended to investigate the area to find out what they might be walking into. …he didn't return.

Red & Okhi'to

Clash with the Farsent [ Log ]
^27/10/23

Finding Red missing, the Unsung investigated the area he’d searched, following the map he’d left them. There were only two sets of tracks, leading straight back to the Farsent’s settlement. Heading there for answers, the Unsung cautiously investigated the seemingly abandoned village.As soon as they set foot there, they were ambushed by the Farsent as one of the Garlean deserters they’d been pursuing stepped forward to confront them. Okhi’to, the squadron’s medicus, called forth arcane barriers to protect the Farsent as they fired upon the Unsung—and in response, the Unsung did likewise, their own healers maintaining magical shields to guard against the bullets, grenades, and spells being flung their way.Before long, Red joined the fray, having escaped from where Okhi’to had him detained.A tense battle of attrition unfolded, but Okhi’to was just one man, and the Farsent were fewer in number. Their defences were whittled away. As their barriers faltered under the Unsung’s onslaught, the villagers fled the battle, carrying their wounded away with them. In the end, only Okhi’to was left, his defences depleted, and he was subdued by the Unsung.The question of what was to be done with him hung in the air. He was taken aboard the airship Cetea to be detained in the brig, and there he remains while the Unsung deliberate their options and decide upon their next course.Farsent Status: Survived, fled, missing.
Settlement: Abandoned, stripped bare of goods and materiel. In Red’s wake, he left behind him an open corridor leading to the metal underbelly of their camp.

Sven, Charlette, & Okhi'to

Okhi’to’s Interrogation [ Log ]
^09/11/23

(Important Information)
(Another log that should really be read if possible.)The Unsung gathered in the ‘storage room’ to question Okhi’to, the squadron member they had captured after facing off against the Farsent. The medicus proved to be forthcoming.He was prompted to explain the circumstances that led to the loss of life of which they were accused, and the dossier proved to be an accurate account, missing only the strategic context that led to a coldly pragmatic order being issued by the Decurion.He answered questions relating to the nature of his squadron’s purpose in the Black Shroud. According to him, it was their intention to find a way to bring the Elementals to heel and give the denizens of the Twelveswood the choice to rule their masters, if they so wished.They had taught the Farsent their skills and shared their knowledge as well as providing the means to craft and wield tek capable of great lethal force in exchange for the Farsent’s knowledge of the woods, and their talent as scouts and sentinels.Okhi’to painted his squadron as benevolent guests of the forest who voluntarily left behind their lives to enrich that of those in need, driven by a desire for atonement after growing disillusioned with their role as unwelcome oppressors in Gyr Abania.The Unsung had (justifiable) doubts about the viability of his squadron’s plan, pointing out that they ran the very real risk of incurring the ‘woodwrath’, which threatened not only their lives and the Farsent’s, but that of all the Shroud.Not having realised the Unsung’s personal connection, Okhi’to also let slip that one of his squadron members, J’nairoh, was also the driving force behind the tempering of the Golden Vipers, a tribe of Seeker miqo’te and Ananta.L’rkah and L’sahali of the Golden Vipers accompanied the Unsung on a pilgrimage across Eorzea to each of the Gods’ shrines some time ago, and the Unsung helped them liberate their people when the Immortal Flames came into possession of the means to reverse the affliction of tempering.It was a bitter memory for those who fondly recalled the Vipers. The group went their separate ways to allow for tempers to cool before a plan could be formulated.

Sven & Okhi'to

Wake of Revelation [ Log ]
^10/11/23

The next day, the Unsung gathered to chart their course. Among the ideas floated was the possibility of reaching out to the Farsent and winning them over, or storming the underground facility, perhaps even having Gridanian authorities do so due to the gravity and scope of the situation—but it was pointed out that doing so would have been dangerous and risked needless casualties on all sides.Further to that, the Unsung discussed ways of sweetening the prospect of the squadron turning themselves in without a fight, such as trying to seek out a guarantee that they would face a trial and—ideally—avoid execution, though most (albeit not all) were in agreement that they should nonetheless face retributive justice.Adra revealed that among Okhi’to’s possessions, she had discovered a communicator that she presumed was a direct line to his squadron, having found the channel to have been open at the time when he was detained. This meant that the squadron had probably heard the Unsung speak of their situation and how the Arbiter held a metaphorical knife to their collective throats.It also meant that they could reach out and attempt diplomacy. It was unanimously agreed that this would be the preferable starting point, to avoid conflict and bloodshed if at all possible. Charlette was appointed to speak for the Unsung, Sven for the Cetea, though others present were given leave to speak up and weigh in as they wished.It was Cadmus oen Severan who answered their hails himself. He was presented with the offer to surrender peacefully after it was made clear to him that his squadron’s machinations would not be suffered to continue. He declined. The Unsung attempted various negotiation tactics, but the Decurion stubbornly refused their offerings at every turn.He proposed eventually that he would release Millie in exchange for their being allowed to relocate their operations unobstructed.Okhi’to was given the opportunity to speak with Cadmus in the hope of getting through to him. He made it clear that he felt that surrender was in the squadron’s best interests, and that he was sure there was no hope at this time of their mission being seen through to its conclusion. If the Unsung didn’t end it themselves, they would bring down the wrath of Gridanian authorities, and that would be that.Cadmus expressed his gratitude for the humane treatment of Okhi’to. He reiterated that they would not desist however, and cut off communications after bidding the medicus farewell.

Cillenne’s Bluff [ Log ]
^16/11/23

Led by Okhi’to, the Unsung left in search of the Farsent. They hoped to win them over, and in so doing, both rescue them from a precarious situation and demoralise the squadron holed up in their underground facility.The medicus guided them to where he believed their camp to be, as it was the place he ordered them to retreat to should he be taken captive. There, they were quickly surrounded and held at gunpoint by the defensive band of misfits, who questioned Okhi’to’s intentions in leading the Unsung there and ignored his pleas.They demanded the Unsung lay down arms and surrender before any negotiations were to take place. During the tense confrontation, it became ever clearer that the adventurers weren’t in any serious danger, and once the last of them made a suitable show of not being a threat, the illusionist revealed they had conjured the whole façade and they were the only person present.Left with little other choice, Cillenne stepped forward to treat with the Unsung. They explained that Cadmus had come for the Farsent the night prior and offered them shelter underground, behind the squadron’s walls and defences. Cillenne alone had refused on the basis of finding the facility decidedly discomfiting.There was nothing else for it but to go down there after them. Cillenne acknowledged the danger posed by the Arbiter and agreed to help, lending the support of their illusory magicks.

Underground pt. I [ Log ]
^23/11/23

The Unsung entered the facility, wary but prepared. Adra was on hand to decode the locks, Okhi’to to attempt persuasion, and Cillenne to provide misdirection in the form of illusions—as well as to talk down the Farsent, presumed to be below.The facility’s interior was composed of rusted scrap welded together from old machina. The walls and floors, Okhi’to had explained, had aether-insulating properties. It was difficult to sense what might lie below.After deciding to head down, the Unsung accessed a lift. Inside, they found a little spider-drone awkwardly scratching at the back of the lift, looking a little lost. After ascertaining that it wasn’t carrying a bomb, they decided to disable it, and got inside (or rather atop) the lift themselves.On the floor below, they found many tiny spider-drones scurrying about performing maintenance on the castrum. They were carrying bits of scraps to and fro, welding the walls. Near an unfinished segment, Charlette felt something horribly off—a wave of intense aether concentrated enough to cause momentary aether sickness.
Before they could investigate further, a voice addressed them over an announcement system.[Now that I have you all gathered here, it’s time to put an end to this.]The little drones turned hostile, and two larger tanks emerged from doors flanking the Unsung, and a battle commenced. Just as the Unsung were starting to turn the tide, more drones started to flood out from the very walls themselves. The voice offered them an out:[Declare your surrender now, and you'll be taken prisoner alive.]…and Charlette detonated the EMP she had been carrying, disabling every drone in the vicinity.…as well as all of Adra’s gadgets. The consensus was to push forward, once the Unsung had collected themselves and re-established a means to advance.

Underground pt. II [ Log ]
^30/11/23

After the tanks and drones were eliminated, all that remained to do was proceed through the facility. Advancing through a door that opened by itself, they continued until they reached a large, open chamber, and there the largest tank yet dropped in to confront them, accompanied by the voice of Yuyuno jen Parvus.Before them stood a scorpion tank, complete with tail and pincers. Yuyuno pledged not to kill them, only to stop them—and despite Okhi’to’s pleas, attempted to do precisely that as the tank initiated combat.Shortly into the battle, following Cain and Red’s opening levin attack, it became clear that Yuyuno herself was piloting the tank. She fought them viciously, breaking through the Unsung’s defences more than once before the hatch to the cockpit was located and torn open.The tank was brought down and disabled, and Yuyuno herself was forcibly dragged from it, surrendering soon enough when she saw there was no way out for her. She was taken into Sven’s custody for the time being.With the chamber sealed, Yuyuno herself might end up being the Unsung’s key forward (or back), if she can be convinced to cooperate.

Underground pt. III [ Log ]
^05/01/24

Pressing on with Yuyuno in hand, the Unsung’s next encounter was with the Farsent. The ragged band of misfits were holed up behind makeshift barricades and battlements, armed with weapons aimed at the adventurers. They were expecting a fight, or perhaps more likely in their minds—a slaughter.Before any words could be spoken, Cillenne stepped forward, glamoured as Cadmus. He ordered the Farsent to stand down and evacuate the facility. Okhi’to joined in to lend credence to the false decurion’s orders. Nura approached them on behalf of the Farsent, but before they could seal the deal, J’nairoh emerged from deeper within the facility.Clad in a helmed bodysuit and bearing bladed fist weapons, it was clear she’d come prepared for battle. Sighting Cadmus, she expressed confusion at finding him here, having apparently just liaised with him. She was quick to realise what had happened—she surely knew which individual was missing from the Farsent she was tasked with guarding and their capabilities.She seized ‘Cadmus’ and held the edge of her weapon to his throat, demanding that he drop the act. Imogen rushed in, and battle broke out. J’nairoh proved difficult to pin down, evading each attack that came her way as if she sensed their intent before they moved, and striking with inhuman alacrity. She handed Okhi’to a spare pair of magitek noulith devices and urged him to help her fight off the Unsung.Instead, he shielded Nura and prepared to evacuate the Farsent.The Farsent’s hands were stayed by the Unsung’s attempts at persuasion despite the confusion and chaos. With Okhi’to’s assurances and Nura’s guidance, they were convinced to pursue their escape along with the children in their midst.Meanwhile, J’nairoh fought on, ever more desperately and viciously, once she realised they knew what she had done to the Golden Vipers. Her luck started to run out, and a cascade of fortuitous strikes led to her being unable to continue fighting before long.Before they could capture and bind her, a dreadful tremor rocked the facility. The Unsung were thrown to the ground, and the lights winked out.

Underground: Finale [ Log ]
^20/01/24

The Unsung picked themselves up after the quake, checking in with one another, and Charlette administered some minor first aid to those among the Unsung who’d been hurt in the hostilities.Adra, along with Okhi’to, Cillenne (still disguised as Cadmus), the Farsent, and Yuyuno turned back to escape from the facility. The Unsung were left to decide what was to be done with J’nairoh. Cain swiftly cast a sleep spell over her and she was bound, enabling them to proceed without fearing further harm from her.Progressing farther into the facility, they came across a chamber filled with various magitek machina, tall vats, and other ominous containers. Shroomie made their presence apparent when they burst out of Charlette’s satchel and started trying to make a dash for the centre of the room.It was agreed to let the little mushroom lead the way after they communicated that Millie was nearby, and it didn’t take much searching to find her, with Shroomba taking point. There they found her, weakened, beside the Decurion. And above them both, encased in a glass container, dormant in repose…An Elemental.The Unsung were caught between shock and disbelief for what they were seeing. Cadmus’ main concern upon seeing them was where the Farsent, Okhi’to, and Yuyuno were. Assured of their escape, he seemed to be more at ease. Although many valid questions were asked, they went unanswered.He urged them to take Millie and flee, warning that the Elemental’s escape was imminent. Millie confirmed that there was no way to temper the spirit’s furore, not with the little time and meagre means they had available to them. She was intent on staying with the Elemental while it vented its wrath, but fortunately, the Unsung managed to convince her to escape the facility with them, arguing that her dying here would be meaningless.Cadmus resolved to stay and buy time for their escape. Thus he did, and the Unsung made good use of it. As the very forest itself came alive to try and hinder their passage, they fought their way up and out to where the Cetea’s aircutters awaited them, ready to return them to the airship above.Behind them, a tangle of roots closed off and swallowed the facility, entombing Cadmus, the sole casualty of the expedition. The Unsung joined the Farsent aboard the Cetea to rest and recover. News of the Decurion’s death was broken to Okhi’to.

The Trial [ I ] [ II ] [ III ]
^{10/02/24, 11/02/24, 18/02/24}

The tribunal proved gruelling, spanning multiple days. The Unsung interrogated the three squadron members on their motivations and decisions, hoping to gain some insight that they might use to determine their fate. Adra read out the transgressions of which they were accused, and for the most part, Okhi’to spoke for his squadron—whether due to their unwillingness or inability to competently speak for themselves.L’rkah arrived to attend the latter half of the tribunal. He confronted J’nairoh and shared a brief moment with her. Later, he revealed that she had certainly known that the Ananta she supplied with crystals were affiliated with other Spoken in some way, asking her what use the serpentine peoples would have for sandals. This caused J’nairoh to lose her composure, viciously lashing out at the Unsung.The Unsung stepped away to make their decision, weighing the merits and the downsides of each of the proposals raised. It was ultimately decided that the Medicus should be returned to Garlemald, where he would help rebuild and provide succour to its people. The Architectus would be turned over to Gridania’s custody, making amends to the nation her actions threatened.J’nairoh’s fate took longer to deliberate over. It was proposed that she be returned to the Golden Vipers to face their justice, but there were concerns about the welfare of the tribe’s pregnant chieftain if she was forced to deal with the matter in her current condition. The Legionarius was to be committed to the care of L’rkah’s old Immortal Flames squad, where she would reside in secure custody until the Golden Vipers were ready to sentence her.

Text in this colour is not common knowledge.
It can be found out through various means but is not widely known.

The Cetea

The Farsent
^{(Currently aboard the Cetea)}

XXVIIIth Peacekeeping Squadron, XIIth Imperial Legion

^{Information derived from the dossier provided by Sven to the Unsung}

^{Information not yet obtained / restricted to characters with access to Garlean census records.}
Former Members
》Swygrael jen Varus, Soldier, Feminine, Roegadyn, Deceased (civil war casualty)
Connected Persons
》Derynd aan Parvus, Soldier, Masculine, Hyur, AWOL (legally deceased)

Others / Independent

Player Phase
Players choose a target to attack, shield, or otherwise interact with and state its name in CAPITAL LETTERS, describing the chosen course of action.》As’kari turned towards ENEMY A and threw a kick at the back of their knee.
》Charlette gathered aether and formed a barrier around AS’KARI.
》Sven lit a match and tossed it into the PUDDLE OF OIL his enemies were conveniently standing in.Then, you’d roll to determine the damage dealt or the effectiveness of the action. We will talk about barriers a bit later. Those do not require rolls.》/random will output a roll into your say/emote channel
》/dice will output a roll into your currently selected channel, such as a CWLS or partyIf players are spread out, most DMs would prefer rolls to be in current channels because /random has a limited range and can be missed if the DM’s character is too far away from yours.If you make a mistake and use the wrong command and the roll gets lost, say what the number was in an OOC channel. Don’t reroll. The first outcome is the final outcome and if I saw it, it’s the only one I’m going to acknowledge. It’s not only less confusing this way, but more honest.We roll the standard 0-999 range. It is possible to roll a d20 or other values with the command /random d20 or /dice d6 or even /random d2 if you want more of a coin flip, which will output the following:》Random! You roll a 9 (out of 20).You can use these alternative values for personal rolls, or if requested to do so by the DM.For dramatic purposes, rolls between 0 and 49 tend to be considered ‘critical failures’. What this means and what it looks like is largely up to you. Rolls between 950 and 999 are considered ‘critical successes’ and you can interpret that as your character looking very cool and skilful and pulling what they intend to do off without a hitch, but the specifics of the outcome remain the DM’s discretion.As a rule of thumb…
You decide how much damage your character takes.
The DM decides how much damage their NPCs take.In other words, a roll of 999 doesn’t guarantee that your character’s attempted decapitation was successful.Once everyone has taken their turn, we move onto the…

Enemy Phase
The DM will go through everyone’s replies and assess the course of action taken, keeping it in chronological or just logical order, and describe the results. This can take a while, so bear with them.》ENEMY A fell forward when the back of their knee was kicked. The PUDDLE OF OIL lit up with a ‘fwoosh’ and the enemy group was suddenly dancing in fire!There may also be occasions where the written result is not dictated by the DM, generally when enemies are far weaker than players and can easily dispatched. In this case, players would be notified in advance and asked to describe the outcome of their characters’ actions themselves, the above might be skipped, and the DM would only describe hostile actions taken against players.》ENEMY A retaliated against AS’KARI by swinging a sword at him, endeavouring to hack through Charlette’s shield. A barrel fell from above, shattering in the midst of the Unsung and covering them in oil as well! The fire rushed forward to engulf the adventurers. Meanwhile, CAIN, RED, and CELICA were directly in the path of a rampaging squirrel.Following this, the DM would roll three times, once for each separate damaging action. The first time for the single person named directly, As’kari. The second time for EVERYONE because everyone is covered in oil. The third time for the three people named.》Random! You roll a 942.
》Random! You roll a 449.
》Random! You roll a 129.As’kari takes 942 damage to his HP pool. Everyone takes 449 damage. Cain, Red, and Celica take 129 each. As’kari, Cain, Red, and Celica take not only the damage from the ‘raidwide’, but also damage from the hostile actions that targeted them directly. Action economy, baby.

Barriers
In consideration for the Unsung facing dangers that would be ordinarily prove extremely dangerous or fatal, such as gunfire, explosions, powerful spells and other extreme forces, we are making use of a barrier mechanic.At the moment, this mechanic is tailored to the talents of specific individuals and balanced around them accordingly. There are some rules to it to make sure danger can still be felt and injuries can still occur, so the Unsung are not invulnerable, but they have breathing room.Barriers are treated like HP for all intents and purposes. When the DM rolls for damage, that roll is deducted from your character’s HP. You keep track of your character’s own HP.When the barrier breaks, it’s down to player discretion if they want to count the damage that broke the barrier as injuring their character or if it simply destroys the barrier, leaving them exposed but untouched until further incoming damage. For NPCs with barriers, it’ll be the latter, as their barriers generally won’t get refreshed once broken.Neither physical objects nor spells can penetrate barriers, but will damage them. Shielded individuals have some resistance to light knockbacks, pushes, and pulls, but in sufficient concentrations, these forces can overwhelm the shielding.Spells such as ‘repose’ or ‘silence’ cannot pierce barriers but will erode their effectiveness. A character who is silenced may not cast barriers if the spell or means they use has a verbal component. A character who is asleep during combat… frankly, can’t do much of anything.If you are shielded and you stand in front of a person who is not, you can take damage on their behalf if it makes sense. You can’t protect them from, say, an electrified floor, but you could block gunfire directed at them. If you shield someone in this way, you take the damage they would have taken—as well as any damage directed towards you, or a raidwide.At the start of combat, anyone who is capable of shielding the entire group contributes to a flat initial value of 1000 for all individuals affected.Shielding the group consumes these individuals’ actions for the first round of combat.Anyone who possesses the ability to generate a personal shield, for example ‘The Blackest Night’ or a skill with equivalent flavour, may add 250 to their overall shield pool. This is a free action but can only be undertaken once every 3 rounds of combat.One round of combat involves going through a player and an enemy phase, then the next round begins once the next player phase begans. Groupwide barriers would be refreshed (if desired or able) on rounds 1 and 4 inclusively.Round 1:
Player Phase
Enemy Phase
Round 2:
Player Phase
Enemy Phase
And so on.Groupwide shields may only be refreshed once every 4 turns, and are less effective while combat is underway. The group may add 750 to their barrier pool. Refreshing groupwide shields will always consume the character’s action.At the start of combat, in most situations, players can begin with 1000 + a potential 250, for a total of 1250.Once this is depleted, it can be refreshed every 4 turns: Groupwide for 750, personal for 250 every 3 turns, for a potential total of 1000.Once the barrier is depleted, the character is taking raw damage. As always, it is entirely up to you to decide the extent to which your character is injured. Some characters are more swift or sturdy than others. The DM will not impose injury, maiming, or death upon player characters however they may decide at their own discretion that a character is no longer fit to be classified as a combatant, in which case the character can no longer take hostile actions against enemies nor take damage from them.That’s about it. Any questions or any scenarios that may have been missed, feel free to ask.

Content Warnings

》Moderately heavy combat
》Combat involving mechanised devices
》Endangerment of cute creatures
》Enemies as capable as players
》Enemies shooting to kill ^[x]
》Themes associated with Garlemald
》Difficult decisions
》Potentially self-harm—there’ll be warnings for this where possible, though no small number of NPCs involved in the campaign have some degree of predisposition towards the possibility if certain conditions are met (or unmet).^{[x] The barrier [combat mechanic] mitigates this, though there is still an element of real danger to be acknowledged at player discretion.}

Authorial Intent & Ramblings

The plot was actually conceived before recent major world events took place, or rather took a turn for the worse, which is strange to think about, but we do now live in a world where these things have happened and continue to unfold.I feel that I have a duty to everyone who participates in this campaign to treat the material with as much sensitivity and grace as I’m able, with consideration for the fact that many of us have been affected by recent events in one way or another, and that I know despite my best efforts that I won’t be able to think of everything.I am trying to be cognisant of balancing sympathy with culpability without downplaying the impact of my villains’ actions. I’m portraying people who have committed war crimes, participated in genocide, cultural erasure, acts of terrorism, murder, theft, and more. And yet they are also—largely—rational and intelligent if misguided, zealous, indoctrinated, arrogant, and otherwise flawed. Regardless, many of them have done something that cannot be forgiven or excused.A number of them also are and were always were LGBTQ+ or PoC-coded, or they share uncomfortable resemblances to real groups that either once existed or still do, whether they are victims, villains, or a little of both. All I can do is try to ensure their actions feel well-reasoned. I welcome criticism if I have or ever do fail in this regard, or any other.