25.2.09

Conar Insignia Revisions

Okay, so here's some revisions on the Conara logo.  I really like the middle one.  It feels more alien to me.  

Anyway, let me know what you think.

Also, Siren alert!  Team Fortress 2 is on sale for $10 on Steam for a limited time!  You really can't beat that.  It is as enjoyable as Left 4 Dead.  Really.  Stop reading this now and go download it.  You won't regret it.

24.2.09

Military Insignias - First Pass

Here are two versions of some Military Insignias I came up with for the Conar (the left) and the Gargonan (the right).  I was playing around with a Logo for MOAG, and came up with the Conar skull thingy that I thought was pretty cool, and would stand better on it's own, and I came up with the Conar logo.  I really like it, and I took some cues from Russian and German military insignias.  I think the Conar are a military first society, and their Insignia would reflect the hard line stance.

The Gargonan symbol is a mixed bag.  I started going for a more eastern style, but it turned out to be more rune like, almost celtic.  I do like how it is centerd by the one triangle, representing the one eye of the Holy Gargonan.  The text says "Federated Planets of Gargona".

Anyway, there you have it.  I'll try to post some more as I come up with them, besides, they're fun to come up with.

15.2.09

The MOAG Mockup... OF DOOM!


Okay, I've gotten a good amount of work done on the MOAG website, but it's not done yet.  Anyway, here it is.  The space in the top graphic will be the MOAG logo/title, but I haven't finished that yet.  Anyway, I'll post more when I get it done.  As always, your comments are appreciated.

13.2.09

SIREN SIREN!!!!! WOOOOOO WOOOOOO SIREN!!

This just in: Steam is selling Left 4 Dead this weekend only for $24.99. You MUST purchase it, it's regularly $50, and like any Valve game, the new maps and game updates they do are free! (At least they have been so far...). Anyway, get it now while you still can. Oh, and when you do, add me to your friends list: Salvaggio [XBD].

Now how do we turn off the siren again?

I Can't Believe My Eye

Qillus Tann, Science Officer log. Entry 107-03.

I’m taking my time setting up camp. My mind is cluttered right now. Everything that has happened to me so far, I can’t even begin to describe how I feel. If ambivalence is the feeling of two separate emotions at the same time then I am feeling ambi-ambivalence.
First off, I feel anger at the rest of the crew. Out of all the crew members that saw me getting ready for this little scientific excursion, none of them told me that there were major problems with the shuttle.
Second, I am feeling fear. I know that I will survive down here, but there are so many things that can go wrong. What if the data from early surveys is wrong and this planet isn’t as habitable as was first thought?
Third, I am feeling sad. I’m alone on this planet. Being alone is usually something I deal very well with, but I want so much to share this experience with others, anyone, another scientist… random crew member… just someone to talk to about it.
Finally, excitement… sheer joy… blissfulness… whatever you want to call it. I am the first Gargonan on this planet and I am observing these things with my very own eye.

***

I turned off my recorder for a moment while I was taking some of the sensor equipment out. I had left my hand held sensor in the box as I went back in to retrieve some more items and when I returned the proximity alarm was going off.
With the readings I’m getting from the sensor, I surmise that one of the lizards is close by and I am currently walking towards where I believe it is located. I am coming up to a large rock and I think that it is behind it… or maybe…. This is amazing. I am not exactly sure, but I think that it is the rock.
I am taking off my helmet now and going to try to coax this creature out of hiding.
I can see you there. You don’t have to hide from me anymore.
I do not believe that these creatures are intelligent. Although from the short amount of time I have been observing them, I can’t be certain. Their way of life is so simple and they tend to stay in what looks like herds and there were no signs of them using or even knowing what tools are.
Come on now. I already—Oh boy. It… umm…. It just stood up on its hind legs. This creature is probably one of the largest of its kind. I would say 2 and a half meters from top of its head to the tip of its tail. Its six appendages all look roughly the same. The lower part of each leg is thicker than the upper part and its feet are spread out… almost like its toes are in a circle. I would make an educated guess that these two features help them on the rougher terrain on this planet. Unfortunately, with the lack of hands or any real way of grasping tools I am more inclined to believe that they are not intelligent.
I am going to end my entry for now to finish setting up my camp and to try and get this creature closer to my other equipment so that I may run some detailed exams on him… I mean it. Hmm.

11.2.09

The Zeun

I know the character contest is done, but I was bored and wanted to do a quick painting of something, and this is what came out.  I call them the Zeun.  They are very intellegent, but small and dainty, averaging 4 ft. in height, and only weighing 75 lbs average.  Anyway, it was fun for a quick hour painting.  I'll have to do it again sometime.

10.2.09

When the Sky Creature Turned from Silver to Green

Here is the next installment of the Sargonian Story. Hope you enjoy....


Roshiss moved across the sand slowly, creeping along on all six legs to keep as quiet as he could. The Sky Creature had gone back into the piece of sky moments before and that is when Roshiss had decided to move.
“This is crazy.” He thought to himself. “Why am I doing this? What if he sees me? What if I’m not supposed to see him? “
Roshiss stopped, took a deep breath and waited for his spirit to calm. This was the most spectacular thing that ever happened to anyone in his tribe and he wasn’t going to let his over active imagination get the best of him.
He moved again, as slowly as before, keeping the piece of sky squarely in view at all times. It looked as though it had several jagged edges and parts jutted out in different ways, making it look as though it had shattered before it had fallen. Roshiss could also here the subtle sound of humming coming from the piece of sky.
“There must be some insects trapped inside.” Roshiss thought. “I wonder how they got there.”
Then the sky creature appeared again and Roshiss froze in place, hoping that he was blending into the surrounding landscape. Its silver skin brighter then Roshiss had first thought. It now carried a large silver box and placed it on the sand not far from the piece of sky. Then it promptly turned around and went back inside.
Roshiss moved again, this time slower than before. The creature could return at any time and He was getting further away from the rocks that could help him to hide.
Then he heard the sound of a small animal, chirping. It was unlike any creature he had heard before and Roshiss had thought he had seen and heard all of the creatures in this area. It was rather consistent also, keeping the same exact sound at the same rhythm, over and over again. Roshiss, now only ten meters away from the silver box, knew that if the creature emerged from the piece of sky his only hiding option would be to drop down on his stomach and hope that the creature didn’t have good eye sight.
Unfortunately, Roshiss had to do just that. The creature ran out of the piece of sky looking around in all directions. He could now hear the sounds that it made as it swung its head back and forth looking for something. The sounds were very foreign to Roshiss. The sky creature sounded as if it had something caught in its throat all the time, but Roshiss knew that it was speaking.
“Are there more of these things in the piece of sky?” Roshiss thought, laying as still as he could. “If there are more, I hope they are all friendly.”
The sky creature ran over to the silver box and opened it. The chirping noise became louder as the box opened and Roshiss realized that the small animal was inside the box. Only, it wasn’t a creature at all. At least, it wasn’t a creature by itself. It was the part of the sky creature that it had removed from itself and walked around with before it had retrieved the box from inside the piece of sky.
The creature turned towards Roshiss, holding the piece of itself in front of it. It kept looking at the piece and back in Roshiss’ direction. Then it walked towards him, slowly yet deliberately towards him.
Roshiss stayed as still as he could. Maybe the creature hadn’t seen him yet.
“It will turn before it gets to me.” He thought. “It hasn’t seen me yet and it will turn before it gets to me. If it gets too close, I’ll have to turn and run.”
Fortunately, right before the creature got too close for Roshiss’ comfort it stopped, reattached the piece of itself and took its own head off.
“It’s a demon!” Roshiss’ mind screamed. “By the grace of Serenity, keep still and don’t move.”
Roshiss realized that he had closed his eyes, but his curiosity didn’t keep them closed for long. He opened them to see that the creature had not removed its head, but had removed a layer of skin from its head, revealing another layer that was green. The sky creature had rocks protruding from the top of its head and around the jaw area much like Roshiss’. The main difference, besides the fact that it was now green instead of silver, was the one big eye in the middle of the creatures face.
It spoke again, but Roshiss could not understand the sounds that were coming from its mouth. It knelt down in front of him only a few meters away. It didn’t make any sudden movements towards him.
“What should I do?” He thought. “I think this creature is trying to communicate with me, but I don’t know what he is saying.”
Then Roshiss did something that he thought he would never be able to do. He stood up in front of the creature.

8.2.09

Chapter III

Look's like I just made it.. he thought. I'll have to leave the planet soon, or they'll find me..
He looked around himself. There's a ship there. I should be able to use it.
He stole the craft, and immediately flew off on a course far away from there. It was easy, flying the aircraft; he could easily control the craft with the new additions, and he wondered why the government had it outlawed. It was the perfect thing, in his opinion, and it wasn't hard to get used to. That very instant, it was growing through his body. Re-inforcing bones, speeding nerves, adapting reflexes, and making his body better than ever before. His skin was already the equivelent of average light armor, and was only getting better. He was now 30 lightyears away from earth, and needed to decide where to stop, to refuel the ship he was currently using. He also decided that it would be a good Idea to get a new craft, for the police would quite possibly follow him, for he had broken the laws they kept to such a high importance, as to spend trillions a year for.

Chapter II

"This is officer George Hark speaking. We have recieved evidence of illegal activity."
"OK men, Let's go!"
They got in the hovercraft, and zoomed across to the appropriate location. The broke in.
"We've found 'em."
"Just a bunch a docs."
"Look like they just finished surgery."
"Let's bag 'em!"

..back at the station..
"Good work men."
"Sir. We've recieved data that there were 11 of them before we got there, but only 10 were there when we got there. It seems one of them has left the rest, and it seems he took some equipment with him. We don't know the details yet, but he's definately lost us by now."
"Thanks for the info. we'll get to that later."
"Now today, we have a....."

7.2.09

My turn...

He was ready. He had waited for tis moment for a long time. He knew that It had to be made perfect before he could go through with it. This was his last chance to turn back, but there was no possibility of him turning back now. He was showered, and walked into he cleanroom. He laid on the medical bed. He knew they could not completely put him to sleep, or it would not become compatible. He still trusted that (like the ones before), they would use that special drug. The one that kept the pain away. The one that could keep him calm through surgery.
They gave him the gas, and he inhaled it calmly, knowing what it would do as exactly as he could. He went under, in a sense. His normal senses had gone. For a moment, there was nothing in the world. They made the first incision. He could feel it. There was no pain, but a very pointed numbness. They were taking out that part of the brain that would soon be replaced. He could feel, in that numb way of feeling, the parts of him being stretchted, and slowly leaving existence.
When the first process had finished, they began to insert the posatronic brain that would soon be a very useful tool. The instant the inorganic material touched him, the longest, but shortest moment; time was gone for that moment; it connected. It was perfect. As perfect as he could imagine. And then he could feel. Feel like never before. He could feel that that was as the lightest touch, where he knew was feet away. He could tell the shape down to the atoms, the materials just as accurately.
He opened his eyes.
There, was the most intriguing thing any man could comprehend. His sight was as good as all of man had found to understand. All of science, and theory was proved to him instantaniously, with a mere glance.

He was no longer human. He still had emotion, but he also had a second life in himself. A life that wasn't like life. It was a computer of his anatomy. It was hardware that expanded his life. Followed every command; gave every answer; but didn't act for itself.

He left the operating room. He merely told the doctors that it was a success. No one would understand him now. No human. Most likely, no race.

He remembered. The others. They did not live with it long. They were in all senses healthy, but they could not handle life like this. He had forgotten, but remembered now. Now that he understood what they couldn't handle. He was different. He would survive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you enjoy!

What was your first Clue?

Ok, I have been working on this story. Its not really a MOAG story, but I think it could fit in the MOAG universe.

Hope you enjoy the story so far.

He remembered that day. Why? That was the first memory he could recall, that day. Fifteen years of searching and no clues as to why. He was cold, no warmth at all. But no body does that to someone. He had a body, of a kind, a technological wonder. But sense that day he has never really felt the warmth of his own skin, like being made of a tin shell. He tried to push the thought away, but today would be different. On this little underdeveloped planet. Today he will find the first clue. And he is in for a surprise bigger than any sense that day.

But to understand the first clue you need to understand what happened that day fifteen years ago. And how he has been hunted by the only ones that had the answers he has been looking for all this time. If he is lucky he just might survive.

As the light flickered into existence our friend wondered where he was, he couldn't recall what had happened. As he tried to look around the room he found that he couldn't move at all. He couldn't feel his arms and legs. He struggled to listen to his surroundings only to find that he couldn't hear anything. This was strange, he thought, he should at least hear himself breathing.

And suddenly everything went dark. He had no idea how long it had lasted, but there in the dark he was lost. In the dark he tried to think of what was happening, searching for some clue as to where he was and why. He had no answers, and no memories to guide him. He longed for the light to return, for something to end the nothingness that filled him.

After what seemed to be days of dark nothingness, he finally heard something. It was a clicking sound. Then a buzz, that turned into a high pitched squeal. Though he knew it should be a highly annoying sound, he latched onto the sound like a life line. "check... Test test..... Can you hear me?" came a voice, more of a whisper, but somehow reassuring.
He called out to answer. "yes" he said, but only heard a squelching sound."good, good....listen I need your help. "I ...." More squelching "shhhh.....I need you to be quiet"
The voice had some urgency to it. So he stopped trying to speak. "listen carefully, Shhh, ok ok, quiet. Ok now I need you to focus on making a low pitched humming sound.... Only be quiet as you can." The background noise shifted from squelching and squealing, to buzzing and clicking. And finally a low humming. "Good, now try counting to five, and back to one over and over." The sounds came in strange tones until he understood the sounds as numbers.
What a strange voice, he thought, like some kind of robot. But it was his voice now." I will give you some instructions for tweaking your sensory input output settings. But there isn't much else I can do for you."
He had so many questions. "Who are ...""shhh, no time to explain. Don't distract me with questions. I need every moment, to help you escape."
"Escape?" he began to ask. "Yes yes now be quiet before we are caught." came the reply "Can you see anything?"
"No, nothing... Why" He whispered. "You need to see to escape." There was a flicker of light. "Wait I see something." he said a little shocked.It wasn't anything he could focus on but it was better than the darkness."What do you see?""Just fuss really" The room came in and out of focus. It was a lab of some kind. "There... " Everything was black and white, but clear. Finally he could see the owner of the voice. It was a man that looked familiar, but he didn't know the name. "Thanks for your help."
"No time for gratitude. This part is the easy part" The scientist tweaked a few things in the panel in our friends chest and closed the panel. "You should now have limited movement. Listen closely..." The scientist said pulling out a small package. "Take this to bay 885jgl, and don't talk to anyone. Don't look at anyone directly. And don't stop for anyone. There are 3 drives in the box.Keep the red one safe on your person. Use the black one with the ships computer. It contains your mission instructions. And the silver one... Well.... Just wait tell your long gone before you use it. But be sure you are alone. Did you get all that?"

He was a little confused, but replied at once. "Yes sir" This got a good laugh from the scientist. "You must be more rattled than I thought, Captain." the scientist saluted and turned to leave. "Good luck Sir" he said as he left. And our friend was alone.

Prologue: Reyak’s Purpose Part 1

So in our late night activities last night I had the great desire to do a really good official like figure drawing and of course I drew a Gorilla actually more precise, a Gorloch. Well and actually I just wanted to do a picture to go along with a story I have been wanting to write. This story is actually based on a character from a campaign we did a while ago so I hope you all enjoy. And without further ado here is the story of "The Ones Who Ventured Forth."





He looked across the valley into the astonishing sunrise, wondering if this, all this, was really what was best for his tribe. He took this moment to bask in the enjoyment of each and every little part of his family, but again he was reminded of his plan to help improve his kind.
Since he was chosen to lead his Gorloch Tribe, Reyak noticed many problems. Guilaga, was the previous chief who made everything look so easy— but upon gaining leadership Reyak realized that things were not as easy as they seemed. Many of the members of the tribe had suffered from the strange curse which slowly killed them off; little did they know it was a strand of bacterial disease. Every time the ships came Reyak pleaded with the bizarre trading creatures for help or relief from this curse. Each time these traders explained that they would not risk getting infected to help them. Reyak finally made the decision to travel with these traders in order to learn from the other worlds and hopefully find the help that his tribe so desperately needed.
It may have been a short few years but felt like an eternity because of the experience and knowledge Reyak gained in his trip with the traders. Though much wisdom was earned, every truth he had found never lead him to a cure for the curse on his tribe. Eventually his travels with the traders lead him to the giant space station Koje. Something in this place gave Rayak hope; he could feel that somehow in this haven he would find the relief for afflicted kin! One day, while residing here, a creature came into a bar Reyak was staying and announced to the crowd, “My name is Savara and as representative of the Tiberion Corp. I am recruiting mercenaries and hired hands for a special mission.”
“What’s in it for us?” shouted someone from the mass of persons.
“All we can say is that those who join will be paid handsomely,” she responded.Reyak didn’t know what this feeling was but something in that moment made him believe that he was in exactly the right place at exactly the right moment. He quickly stood up and responded in the broken Macaneon he learned from the traders, “I go! I fight!” With that he left the building and entered a great ship with the creature named Savara.

4.2.09

Jadak 4, we have a problem.... Jadak 4?.... Hello?

This is just great. Uhh... Science Officer log. Entry 107-02. Qillus speaking.

I am in complete shock right now. It seems that the good Captain gave me a shuttle with some problems with the communications array and conveniently forgot to tell me about it. Unfortunately, I don't have a personal communicator on me right now. Thought I wouldn't need it because the ship has such a nice comm system. Now, here I am... stuck for the time being because... OH YEAH, the engines are not working properly either!

I need to calm down and just start with the mission. I have my environmental suit on and some light armor over that, just in case I have predicted wrong. I am going to start my scans first, just get some basics out of the way and then set up camp. If I can't get the comm up and running I will be here for at least a week before they send someone down.

At any rate, I am going to open the cargo door now.

The sun is bright in the sky. The gravity feels about normal. I do feel a little lighter on my feet, but that may be because I am the first Gargonan to set foot on this planet.

I am going to begin my scans now.

Ahh! I'm not just excited. The gravity is .85 normal. The temperature is... slightly over 46. We have a wind coming from planetary North at a steady 8 kilometers an hour. Hot, but not too bad. I will have to watch my hydration.

This planet is beautiful in it's own way. I have never-- What's this?

I am picking up a lifeform on the scanner. I can't see it from here, but if the scanner is accurate I believe it is one of them. This is fascinating. I'm positive that I landed far from any of the herds, and from the breif time I studied them from the Jadak 4 I didn't notice any of them wandering off.

I will finish setting up my base camp and then I will go look for this one.

Like a Gargonan in a Candy Shop

Science officer log. Entry 107-01, Qillus Tann speaking.

I'll start from the beginning of this whole ordeal. I didn't keep record of it since I believed that Captain Argus would never let me go down to the planet.
We stumbled upon a planet that is not on any of the charts. It's very dry and arid. Most of the planet is desert, but there are a few points that have vegetation. The ship I am now on has taken a high orbit over the planet while we do some routine scans of the planet and make a few repairs.

Where are my manners, I should have went through an introduction. My name is Qillus Tann, I was (until most recently) the Chief Science Officer on Outpost 8311. Through no choice of my own, I have been reassigned to another station. I am currently on the Gargonan Military Cargo Ship, Jadak 4. I am the only Science Officer on this ship and ever crew member seems to remind me of this. A small annoyance.

At any rate, I am currently readying items for a mission that Captain Argus was nice enough to approve for me. I was able to observe as the Bridge Crew went through some of the scans on the planet. Most of the things they went through were of no surprise. Basic vegetation and animal life for a desert planet. But then they found something. A species of lizards ranging anywhere from one and a half to two and a half meters in length. This was a surprise, due mostly to the fact that a desert planet usually does not support life at this size. There are the few green areas on the planet, but that wouldn't change the fact that this planet shouldn't have these creatures on it. Also, the fact that they tend to stay away from the greener areas intrigues me. I feel like a child again, discovering things for the first time and rambling on about what they do. I will report more when I reach the planet.

Oh, and one more thing. The way they herd together. It's not like most species that herd. Something is so very different about them. I can't wait to see them up close.

3.2.09

SPECIES CONTEST WINNER!



Ok, So Juanito is the winner of the "New Species Contest" for his species, the "Ormigites". They seemed interesting, well thought out, and easy to integrate. Now I have to say also, that all of them were fantastic, and I would like to use them all at one point or annother, so if you would please E-mail me a write up on all of their information. (if possible) aka, if you want. The guidelines are as follows.

Basic list: Race Name; Average Height; Average Weight; Average Life span; Home Planet; Languages Spoken; Sleeping Habits; and Willpower Bonus (can be negative).

If More is available, please put it in the following format:

Overview- Contains a quick description of the species.

Physiology- Contains information on the science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of the particular species in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed.

Society- Contains information on; the economic, social and industrial infrastructure of the species, as well as cultural information.

Millitary and Technology- Contains information on the level of technology used by the species both in real world, and millitary functions. Notable advancements are listed here, as well as medical advancements and the species level of space travel.

Native Star System- Contains strictly information reguarding the space surrounding the species home planet including, Sun, Moons Other Planets and physical information such as, but not limmited to; Axis tilt of home planet, surface gravity, length of year/day, and location in and name of home gallaxy.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, suggestions or commments, please post a comment.

Thanks again. You all rock!........... Especialy this friday while Im gone, (and you'll probably be playing rock band).

2.2.09

The Day the Sky Fell.

"Roshiss, you know that you should not have done that!" Theeotah, a village elder, said. "This is not the time to discuss these matters. This will have to go before the tribal council."
Roshiss was big for a Sargonian. Over two and a half meters long, from top of his head to the tip of his tail. The ridge of rocks that ran down his back stood tall, a sign of good health. His intelligence set him apart from most of the tribe as well. By the time he turned eight years old, he had asked the tribal council too many logical questions and had been banned from attending any meetings. Unfortunately his age made him a fool in the eyes of every elder in the community.
"All I did was ask questions." Roshiss said. "Must I be punished for wanting to know things?"
"Yes!" Theeotah bellowed. "You are too curious for your own good."
Theeotah turned and walked away from Roshiss, signifying that the conversation had ended.
Roshiss walked out of the village at a good pace. His dealings with the stubbornness of the elders began at a young age, but he still felt the sting of a crushed pride every time he talked to any of them.
He made his way to his favorite rock and laid on it, staring out across the valley. The rock blended well with his color and he knew that any others that might be looking for him would not find it easy to see him here.
Then the sky shook. The thin layer of clouds split apart as a piece of sky blazed towards the ground. The fire dissipated, leaving a trail of smoke from the piece of broken sky. It then slowed as it came closer to the ground spitting more fire from different places.
Roshiss lay extremely still as the sky landed a mere twenty meters from him. He glared at it and realized that the it was no longer smoking, but was in fact black itself. Did the sky when it fell turn black as night?
The piece of sky sat on the sand on what looked like legs and Roshiss could only stare at it. Fixated by what had happened in front of him.
Then the piece of sky moved, or more accurately a piece of the piece of sky moved. It slid down one side with an awful hissing noise that reminded Roshiss of the wind rushing through the fields of Narrkesh bushes. Then it went quiet again.
Roshiss almost moved towards the piece of sky when he noticed a grey and black creature walk out of it. The creatured stood on its hind legs and it only had four total.
"I wonder why it doesn't have six legs?" Roshiss thought. "What am I saying? Here I am, looking at something out of a dream. A creature that lives in the sky and I am wondering why it doesn't have six legs like me?"
The silver sky creature walked out a ways and took a piece of itself off from its side. It slowly turned around with the piece of itself and looked at it. The creature then looked towards Roshiss, but he knew it couldn't see him against the rocks he now laid on. It then looked away.
Roshiss took a deep breath, decided that he must meet this creature from the sky and slowly moved towards it.

Chapter 7

Okay.  For all the new MOAGers out there this is chapter 7 of the History Of Atrius Preim.  To read the other 6 chapters, simply click "The Story that shall remain Nameless" in the topics section.  I highly encourage you to read the first six chapters so you know what's going on.  Anyway, to continue on with our story...

Atrius was two blocks ahead of Dannis, Xar, and Shyla. He had been on point, doing a routine sweep when he had found the tracks. He had contacted Dannis, who told him to get out of site and wait for the rest of the group to catch up. There was only 4 of them, and they didn’t want to risk running into any company alone. Atrius had hidden in the lobby of what used to be a large department store, waiting quietly for the rest of the group to show up.

He had just settled down to wait when his scanner started beeping. He quietly thanked Osirius that Hooblabah had at least given them some powered armor. He brought the scanner up on his vid screen. H saw 4 large beings, and they were in the department building and coming this way.

“Dannis. Come in Dannis” nothing. His comunit wasn’t working. He would have found this unusual, but at that moment he saw one of the “visitors” coming down the stairway. It was a Klisk. And it was heavily armed.

He ducked back down behind the reception desk, hoping that the Klisk was not using its scanning equipment. The large laser that punched a hole through the desk next to his head confirmed that yes, the Klisk’s scanner did work, and it was in fact using it. Atrius raised his RS-252 over the desk and returned fire. At this point all Hell broke loose. The Klisk was joined by the other 3 Klisks, and the lobby air sizzled from laser fire and the endless roaring of the Devil’s Bane, the Klisk heavy weapon of choice.

Atrius screamed into his com-unit, but it was still nothing but static. He was crawling along the floor, returning fire over the quickly deteriorating reception desk and was quickly looking for a way out, but it was becoming painfully obvious that there wasn’t going to be one. The desk behind him collapsed into dust as one of the Klisks came crashing down on it. Atrius fired point blank into the chest of the hulking beast, one of his blasts piercing the armor. The Klisk roared in pain, reached down with a speed that caught Atrius off guard, grabbed his foot and threw him like a rag doll across the room and into a wall of elevators. His armor took the brunt of the impact, and Atrius quickly rolled to his feet, RS-252 blasting away as he tried to run away from the 4 advancing Klisks. The wall exploded around him as the Klisks opened fire with their Devil’s Banes. Elevator doors where shredded like they were paper, the marble accents on the walls evaporated into dust, explosions erupting everywhere. Atrius had no chance and he knew it.

It happened, and he was surprised. He felt no pain. He looked at his left arm as the armor disintegrated. He saw the flesh and muscle shred away from the bone, he watched as the blood spray covered his face. He felt the force of the impact forcing him back into the wall, and then, he was through the wall. He was in total darkness, except for the hole that he had just come through. He was slowly falling down, away from the hole and as the black surrounded him the pain came. And with it came death.


Dannis, Xar and Shyla were sitting quietly in the dark alley. After Atrius had called in about the tracks, they were proceeding very slowly, and cautiously. Dannis had quickly ordered the three to turn on their local masking equipment. This hid their armored power output from scanners and also hid their heat emissions. Hopefully Atrius had used his, but Dannis wasn’t sure he was paying attention when they went over that part of the suit training. He ordered the three of them to split up, each going into a separate building, and each to double back as quickly and quietly as possible to the dark alley they had scouted earlier as a good place to hide if the need arose. He had ordered them to turn off their com-units, no need to let whoever it was that was out there follow their communications. This however had the unfortunate drawback that Atrius could not contact them, but they were sure he’d be alright. He was always the one who could get out of anything.

Dannis was watching the street from where they had just come. The alley was a good 3 blocks from where they separated (unfortunately in the opposite direction from Atrius), and offered a good view of the street in both directions. It was very dark, and combined with their local masks, provided excellent cover. He felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned to Xar, who pointed with two fingers in the direction they were originally headed. Dannis looked over Xar’s shoulder and couldn’t see anything. He signaled to Xar, who held up his hand, telling him to wait. Dannis sat watching the street for what seemed forever. Then he saw them. There where two massive figures sitting in a large building, about 2 blocks away. He turned to Xar and the two of them conversed using hand signals, a skill commonly used in the Conar military. They both agreed that the two were Klisk. Too big for anything else. Dannis didn’t like this turn of events. There was no mention of Klisks being part of the KMF resistance group. It was supposed to be mainly Humans with a few Macaneons and possibly a Gargonan. They could handle Macaneons and Gargonans, but Klisks were an entirely different matter. Shyla tapped both of them on the shoulders and pointed in the direction they had come from. Two more Klisks were making there way down the street, one on each side, sweeping their Devil’s Banes back and forth.

Dannis swore quietly. The Klisks new they were somewhere between the two groups, and the two coming down the street were basically going to drive the three of them into the other two, like hunting Kraells back on their home planet. Well, he wasn’t going to be any part of a hunting expedition, not tonight anyway. He quickly and quietly led Xar and Shyla down the alley. It wound it’s way through the dilapidated buildings for nearly six blocks before opening onto another street that ran parallel to the street they had come up. Dannis hoped to make it to that street, and double back to the landing site. Hopefully Atrius would figure out that something was wrong and he’d head back as well.

They had gone roughly 30 meters when they heard it. Soft footfalls of something that was very big, trying to be very quiet. They quietly ducked into an empty loading dock, and sat quietly, no one daring to move a muscle. The alleyway was extremely dark, so they weren’t worried that they could be seen, but even a Klisk could tell when it bumped into something that shouldn’t be there. They watched as two Klisk came down the alleyway. They were coming single file, the alleyway wasn’t wide enough for them to walk side by side. They had almost passed the three Priems, when they came to an abrupt stop. The Klisk in the lead stood silently for a moment, then reached up and punched a button on the side of his helmet. The blast shield of his armor opened up to reveal his slate-grey face. The other Klisk followed suit.

“So we just sit and wait?” The second said to the first.

“Yes. Those are our orders.”

“Why? They could be anywhere.”

“You heard the report. Something triggered the alarm at site 16. That’s only a click from here, they could have easily gotten there.” The first started rummaging through his hip container. “Besides, site 16 is near their landing zone, so it would make sense.”

“What do you think happened with the little one?” Asked the second. Dannis perked up. Could they be talking about Atrius?

“He’s being taken care of. We’ll have to thank him for showing us where the rest of them where.” The com-unit on the first Klisk beeped on.

“Makaa, what is your position?”

“We’re in the alley, almost to the street.”

“Good, meet us there, we are to proceed to site 16. Out.”

The two closed their blast shields and headed down the alley towards the street. The three Preims sat quietly in the loading dock for 15 minutes. Then Dannis motioned for them to move out. No one said a word for the 2 hours it took to get back to base camp. They quietly and quickly gathered what they needed and headed off to another area of the city, some 20 blocks away, to await pickup from Garrick. Dannis had quietly sent the distress signal to Garrick. Most Conar signals where fleet wide, so that any units near by could come to the aid of those in need. The Priems had modified their signal, so that only Garrick, or other Priems would be alerted. They had 3 hours to get to the pickup site. As they were getting ready to head out, Shyla finally broke the silence.

“Do you think it was Atrius? The ‘Little One’ they were talking about?”

“I don’t know.” Replied Dannis.

“It’s true” Xar said quietly. “We all know it. It was Atrius.”

Dannis and Shyla both stood quietly. Dannis looked around at the camp. “Then I hope he’s enjoying his reward. Because I’m going to kill him.” With that he turned and headed off to the pickup site.


Atrius lay quietly looking at the ceiling. He remembered the klisks, the firefight, even remembered seeing his arm get ripped to shreds. But he especially remembered dying. It wasn’t painful. Or peaceful. It wasn’t anything, just death. He was surprised by that. Atrius didn’t really hold to any type of religious belief. Growing up with the Conar, who’s only religion was the military, never presented himself with much to choose from anyway. He had always thought that there was some purpose, some place a being would go to when they died. It was this hope that kept him looking at the ceiling. It wasn’t exactly the type of ceiling you’d expect in the afterlife. Infact, if he wasn’t so sure he was dead, he’d say it looked just like the ceiling of a basement room in a dilapidated building. And come to think of it, he wasn’t impressed with the afterlife. It was cold and dirty, and certainly not what the afterlife should be. Or at least what he thought it should be.


“You are awake. Good”. The deep voice came from his left. He tried to look at the voice, but as soon as he started to move, intense pain shot through his left side. He was pretty sure he shouldn’t be able to feel that, what with him being dead and all. He was beginning to think that dying was getting the raw end of deal.

“Move as little as possible. You are very weak”. The voice again.

“Where am I?”

“Where do you want to be?” responded the voice.

“I want to not be dead.”

“Well, congratulations are in order.”

“I’m not dead?”

“I would think not. It would make this conversation almost impossible for you.” Atrius thought for a moment. Impossible for you. What did that mean? He tried to sit up again, and again the pain forced him onto his back.

“Please lay still. We have very little time.”

“What do you mean?” Atrius couldn’t see the origin of the voice, and was beginning to get rather irritated by this fact.

“You need to listen to what I will tell you.”

“But…”

“Please stop asking questions.” Atrius could feel the power in the voice. Whoever it was wasn’t asking, but commanding him to be quiet. And along with the command came the sickening feeling that Atrius couldn’t have talked if he wanted to.

“Yes, I can stop you from talking. I can do many things. I would like to say that I saved your life, but fortunately for me, your Gargonan genetical imprint seems to have taken care of that for you.” Atrius could hear the owner of the voice moving. It wasn’t as large as a Klisk, but he was still very nervous as to who, or what, had such power over him.

“You will be found today.” Atrius tried to ask him by who, but again found that he could not speak.

“It doesn’t matter. You will be found.” The voice answered. Atrius was beginning to wonder if he really was dead after all. A shadow cast from some light source, slowly slid across his face. A moment later Atrius was looking at a large Conar, standing over him. There was something familiar about him, but Atrius couldn’t place it.

“You do not know me” answered the voice. “Now I will give you what help I think you deserve. Those who will find you will lead you to your destination.”

Atrius had no idea as to who or what he was talking about.

“No, I suppose you do not know. But if you are lucky, you may learn someday”. The Conar looked down at Atrius.

“Now, time to go.” At this, the room began to swim. Atrius could feel the concrete beneath him engulf him as if he were falling into a pool of water. He could feel the cold, wet, liquid soaking into his clothes, slowly swallowing him whole, and as he went further down into the murky black, he could still see the Conar standing above him. “Atrius. One last thing, breathe.”


He sat up, gasping for air. He was in the bottom of the elevator shaft, lying chest deep in water that had collected at the bottom. The mysterious Conar was nowhere to be seen. Nor was he in the room that he had awakened to not more than 5 minutes earlier. He could see light coming into the shaft up on what he assumed was the ground floor. The doors and walls were riddled with bullet holes. He could see the hole that he had made when he was killed. Killed. It was weird to think. He had died, he was sure. But here he was, alive at the bottom of what should have been his tomb. He tried to get up, but the pain came.

“Damn. I was hoping that had gone with all the other stuff.” Atrius muttered to himself. He fumbled for his medical field pack, which hung on his left thigh. It took him twenty minutes to get it open, seeing as he was radically hampered due to the loss of his arm. He pulled out a Conar standard medical injection kit, and gave himself a shot in the thigh. It didn’t take long for him to feel the pain numbing, and eventually leaving all together. It took him another 15 minutes to find some discarded electrical wire to wrap his mangled arm to his side, and then he set about finding a way out of the elevator shaft.

The lobby was covered in bright daylight when he finally found his way out. He was surprised at the amount of dust in the lobby. He could still make out the markings from that fateful night, but there was a thin layer of dust that covered everything. He thought that maybe he had been down in the shaft for a day, but he was beginning to think that it was much longer.

“Well, I'm pretty sure I won't be getting a cab”, he muttered to himself. He quietly crept to the front window, taking some shelter from some old clothes racks piled up near what used to be the front of the store. There was no movement on the street. Not that he was expecting any. There wasn't any report of activity here for months. Of course there weren't any reports on Klisks being here either, and he remembered how that turned out. He sat quietly, not because he was waiting for anything, more because it was peaceful. He saw the small rodents busying themselves in their hunt for food. He listened to the birds flitting in and out of the large skeletons of the monoliths that were once the downtown financial center. When he finally did come around to doing something, he was pretty sure that he was alone. He got up quietly and walked out the door. He stood there in the shade for a moment, and then quietly headed in the direction of the Preim camp.


It took him an hour to walk to the camp. It was empty. He hoped that meant Dannis had gotten the others out. He spent 15 minutes looking around for any sign that Dannis might have left, some clue that was meant only for him, but found nothing. He slumped down on some debris and for the first time acknowledged that he was alone. They thought he was dead, and they weren't going to come back for him.

1.2.09

The Sound of Silence

Thorin worked at a small hole in the wall bar on Koje that sometimes attracted the wrong types of people. The type of people that had their fingers into everything that was dangerous to have your fingers in, but it was a job and Thorin couldn't complain too much. Besides, those type of people were also damn good tippers.
He stood behind the bar doing the mundane things that needed to be done; washing glasses, stocking shelves and other equally tedious tasks, everything except actually waiting on costumers. That was Jossen's job. After all it was Jossen's bar and Thorin didn't argue with him. Mainly because he was the biggest Klisk that Thorin had ever seen. He was at least sixteen feet tall and about as wide. Thorin was short for a Gargonan and, at a little under six feet tall, was about a third Jossen's height, but he was fast and could take a beating which were two good attributes to have when working behind a cramped bar with a gigantic Klisk. Fortunately Jossen was out on his morning errands which made the bar area vastly more spacious.
Elias, a dark human with cropped curly white hair sat at the bar sipping on a human drink called vodka that Jossen kept in exclusively for Elias and his mercenary unit.
"Hey Thomin." Elias bellowed.
"My name is Thorin." Thorin corrected.
"Yeah... whatever." Elias paused for a moment. "Get me some more vodka."
"Why? You have a nearly full bottle sitting in front of you."
"Oh!" Elias grabbed the bottle that Jossen had left for him and had in fact been sitting in front of him the whole time. "You're a good person, Toehead.... In fact, you're the best person I know.... Still don't know what you are though."
"I'm still a Gargonan, Elias. I'm just shorter than most of my kind. I've told you this before."
Thorin stared blankly off the other direction. Something was wrong today. Even for an early morning it was too quiet. Thorin could feel that something big was coming. He had this feeling before and the last time it was right before a meeting of the two biggest crime syndicates had taken place in the corner of this bar. It didn't end too well.
"Elias, you should go." Thorin said. "I think-- somethings not right."
"What could be wrong? I have a full week off until my next job starts, I have a bottle of the finest Klisk made Russian vodka and I'm wasted before 10 o'clock in the morning. What could possibly go wrong?"
Then something did go wrong. Thorin heard the shuffle of feet and when he looked up the two Macaneons that had come in for breakfast were scurrying out the door. A Conar in ornate armor had taken a seat at a table in the far corner. Thorin had seen him in here before on several occasions and he was accompanied by the four Nareskins that had always accompanied him. Then another Conar, this one alone, walked in, looked around for a moment and walked over to the same table and took a seat on the opposite side.
Thorin, paying too much attention to the Conars, lost the grip he had on the towel he was using to wipe off the glasses and it fell to the ground. He bent down to pick it up and something caught his eye. It was a small silver disk approximately ten centimeters in diameter. Thorin had seen it before, in fact he had seen it when the computer guy had been installing it. He and Jossen had been standing over the Cylonquin watching with anxious curiosity as the guy finished up.
The guy had told them that it was an experimental technology and that the K.M.F. Government had chosen several locations on Koje to test it out. Jossen's Place had been one of the lucky ones chosen.
When Thorin pressed about the technology, the guy only replied that it was something to do with nanites and that he didn't know much about it because he was only trained to install it. He did, however, know that when all the lights had gone out that all of the nanites would be released and that they should notice improved performance on their local network.
Thorin now stared at the silver disk and if his ability to count in binary was close, the time was almost up.
"Is everything ready?" Thorin heard the armored Conar say.
"Yes, the shipment will be complete in exactly two minutes." The other Conar said.
Thorin stood up nonchalantly. He had the uncanny ability to hear things that no other Gargonan should be able to hear and he had learn to not show this to anyone or bad things happened to him.
The Conars continued.
"How can I be sure that everything is going as planned?"
"You may just have to trust me on this one."
"I don't trust anyone, except my four friends here."
"They look trustworthy, as long as you keep them in check."
"Don't underestimate them. The last fool that doubted their abilities didn’t see the end of the day."
Thorin went back to cleaning the glasses, but was soon interrupted.
"Thorin, over here." A Cylonquin called from the other side of the bar. "You feeling alright?"
"Sorry, Choreth." Thorin said. "I guess my mind is someplace else."
"Is Jossen in?"
"He went out to grab some stuff."
"Oh, well, when he gets back can you tell him that I am over here in this dark corner being mischievous? That should get his attention rather quickly." Choreth smiled and laughed.
Thorin chuckled. "I'll do that." Then he went back to listening to the Conar.
"I have to go get your payment. I'll be right back."
"How do I know you're not going to cheat me out of my money?"
The armored Conar stood up, opened a pouch on his belt, removed a stack of credits and placed them in front of the other Conar. "Here, buy yourself a drink."
"Sounds fair."
The armored Conar and the four Nareskins moved out the door. As the other Conar stood up.
Thorin smiled his fake "can I help you" smile to the other Conar as he made eye contact. Then the armored Conar began to speak again.
"It should be taken care of momentarily. The device will be going off--" Then all Thorin could hear was a loud shrill whistle. He automatically grasped his hands to his ears.
He panicked and looked around the bar. The other Conar was now sitting at the bar and speaking to him, but Thorin couldn't hear anything. Choreth was running towards him with a look of concern. Elias had slumped over on the bar and was twitching.
Thorin's eye met the Conars gaze again, but this time the corners of the Conars eyes were bleeding and looked like red tears. Choreth, who had just reached the bar had collapsed onto it and a pink liquid oozed out of his nose and onto the counter.
The shrill sound dissipated, but now Thorin felt as if he were surrounded by water. The only sound he could hear was coming from inside him, shallow breaths and his heart beating rapidly.
Elias still lay on the bar twitching. Choreth had slumped to the floor on the opposite side leaving a trail of pink ooze on the bar as he had fallen. The other Conar grasped at his own ears, but the blood was now coming out of his ears through his hands and out his nose as well. Then his eyes disintegrated in his sockets and the blood gushed out as he fell to the floor.
Still stuck in the silence of his surroundings, Thorin's Gargonan adrenaline kicked in. He planned every movement as he forced himself to focus.
"I can't jump over the bar, not right now." He thought.
He moved slowly and steadily around the bar to survey the three other people that were with him; Choreth, Elias and the other Conar. The other Conar lay in a pool of his dark red blood. Choreth eyes were now disintegrating.
Elias still lay on the bar twitching.
"The others are dead, Elias is somehow still alive. I have to get him and myself out of here."
Thorin grabbed the collar of Elias' shirt, pulled him to the ground and dragged him as he made his way to the doors of the bar.
Each step became a burden, yet Thorin trudged along as the pain became more and more intense. Suddenly the water sensation pulsated through his body and he dropped to his knees, his grasp still firm on Elias' collar.
Thorin peered back around. The bar now looked blurry. The bar itself warped and bent with every pulse that he felt through his body. The source of the pulsating seemed to be coming from the area where the silver disk had been installed.
Thorin climbed to his feet and pushed towards the door again, knowing that every step brought him closer to escape. Then the pulsating water hit him harder than ever and he collapsed to the floor, still aware of his surroundings and gripping Elias in his hand, but unable to move. The blur slowly took him over and a black void welcomed him into unconsciousness.

Thorin's eye opened. The sound of silence enveloped him again, but this time his breathing was steadier and his heart beat slower.
The familiar face of Jossen leaned over him and spoke, but Thorin heard nothing.
"I can't hear you, Jos." Thorin said. "I can't hear anything."
Jossen grabbed a tablet from someone that walked by and scribbled on it. "What happened?"
"I don't know, I've never seen anything like that before."
"You saved Elias. He would've died had you left him in there."
"I didn't make it out. I couldn't go any further. We should've been dead."
"Luckily I was just coming back from my morning errands when I found you right inside the door. People were collapsing as they walked by, so I thought it was some chemical weapon, but as I got closer my hearing went out, I saw you by the door and I grabbed you." Jossen lifted his hand up that he had been writing on the tablet with. It was covered in blisters and bright red. He then continued writing. "You had a death grip on Elias' shirt. I don't think I could've gone in after him."
“What about Coreth and the Conar?”
“Who?”
“Choreth had come in to talk to you and a Conar I had never seen before was at the bar.”
“The only people they found were you and Elias.”
Thorin wanted to sit up, but Jossen kept him back with a subtle push on the shoulder.
"You're going to need your rest. You've been through a lot today."

MOAG... ONLINE!

Okay.  Here's an idea that I think we'll all get behind rather quickly, and will possibly kill two birds with one stone, or possibly 3 stones with one bird, whichever way you want to think about it.

Anyway, here's the idea:  We put MOAG online.  We start by getting a web site, MOAGtheGame.com is available (we can even pitch in for the yearly fee), anyway, Shadowwire can find the name he wants for it, but it will really help us and here's how.  We start by compiling all the rules and whatnot and put them on the site.  Therefore, we don't have to print up copies anytime some changes are made, and we can easily add and amend any of the information on the site.  I think it will be a cheaper way of getting the "book" out there, and it will be easier for anyone who wants to GM to find and use the information.

Here's the second part of the idea:  We build an  online version of MOAG.  I'm not talking about a MMORPG, although that would be awesome, but a simple, dice rolling game that can be played online, thus allowing groups to "MOAG" only needing a decent internet connection.  I've looked into various online simulations of table top RPGs, and most of them are simple forum, post your moves and rolls, type of thing.  I'm pretty confident that we have the knowhow amongst us to build something better than that.  We can build online character sheets, that are saved on a database, and use a chat mechanism to communicate, which will speed up the forum post method.  And bunch of other ideas that we can come up with.  And if it really works, it could be something we license and sell and whatnot.  

Anyway, I think we do it.  It will be very easy to do the first part, and the second part is a challenge that I think we can tackle.  What are your thoughts fellow MOAGers?

MOAG History

This has been a banner week for the blog. I love that we have got back to the root of the MOAG blog.... umm... MOAG, and anything related to MOAG. I love the idea of adding to the universe with all the new species and weapons and all. But I was hoping also we can look back at the history of the game. From the lowly days when we decided that other rpg's just weren't cutting the proverbeal mustard, and all the nights we stayed awake in Shadowwire's basement tell 5 or 6 in the morning playing.

So, That said....
I was hoping that all you Moag'ers out there would be so kind as to post a story from the early days. And that doesn't leave out you noobs, tell us about your first time, the battles, the intrigue, the ..... sitting there waiting your turn while everyone else was having fun.... or whatever.

My story is coming, I just have to decide which one to post.

Come on people, and single celled organisms, and strange creatures I cant explain. Make us proud.