Juan and the Order of the Scythe

Here is an abridged story version of a campaign me and Xzebo played a long while back. I was just really wanting to draw some MOAG stuff and decided to write a story along with it. Sorry if there are spelling and grammatical errors. I kinda just cranked out the story, but I hope you all enjoy it.

Now there was a time, not too long ago that I thought I was going to die out in space. I am almost 150 years old and I have seen more than my fair share of war and death in life. I have seen 2 wives put to rest, I have long outlived my 3 children, but I have rarely felt near death’s embrace. Except this story is about one of those occasions.

After living through the Conar invasion and countless other mercenary missions as a pilot I was tired of all the fighting. So like any other halfway-decent pilot; I got into the transport business, and as a private taxi for Mo-Ti-Qee emissaries I lived a nice safe life and made A LOT of money.

I was living a good life trying to forget all the bad things that had happened in the past when on one particular trip ‘BAM!’ and then total loss of engine control. Immediately after a message on the screen, “Legendary Juan Casador you are now under Scythe control. Prepare to be boarded.” I did what any honorable captain might do to protect his clients. I grabbed my gun and ran to the airlock.

I could tell that they were having troubles hacking my airlock door so I decided to “help them.” I readied my gun and hit the open button. But before I could even fire a single shot a bright light and shock slammed into me knocking me to the floor and overloading my senses. I was unconscious.

Next thing I knew I was waking up in a room tied to a chair with seven other guys in the same situation as me. There was a weird one sitting right next to me. He seem to be a Nar-Eskan but had a tail and four arms, and looked as beat up as I felt. “Ey, my name’s Juan, how’s it going?” I said to him. “Yirsed Tulex, pleased to meet you Juan.” he replied.

Before I could say anything else in walked a unit of Conara lead by what looked like a Conara admiral except he wore an insignia that I had never seen before. He stopped in front of all us prisoner while the rest of the Conara put some kind collar around all of our necks. The Admiral then said, “My name is General Decok VaDesh and I have been sent here to explain to you that we, the Order of Scythe, have recruited you to fight for our cause against the corrupt Conara Government.

I immediately thought to myself, “Oh great another dumb ex-Conara-general who didn’t get something he wanted, got a few guys to follow him, and now is fighting the brute force of the Conara Military... Dumbass!” But luckily before I vocalized my thoughts, one of the other prisoners shouted, “Recruited us? More like captured us!”

Without any retort the General pulled out a device, clicked a few buttons. Instantly, the shouting prisoner went limp, his eyes rolled back in his head and then he was dead. The General then said, “Due to your remarkable piloting careers, each of you have been chosen to help us in our fight.” All the alarms blared but the General continued, “We are about to battle a starfleet occupying crucial location and expect you all to fight for our cause. If not the poison in your collars will be injected like you have just seen with your friend here.”

We were then led through the ship corridors into the hangar bay where we were outfitted and put into our fighter ships. Before they closed our cockpits I glanced over at Yirsed who looked very unpleased and yelled, “Hey! Killin’ Scythe Conara, or regular Conara. Either way it sounds good to me!” I think I saw him smile just as the shell went down.

Next thing I know we are out in space and Yirsed is radioing to me saying to me, “it would be an honor to follow the Legendary Juan’s lead.” I agreed but the rest is all a blur to me. Though if someone was watching us fly I think they would describe Yirsed and I as the angels of death weaving in and out of the enemys’ formations causing more destruction than we could even remember.

We were in ‘the zone’ more than I had ever been before my ship followed my every command. It was as if I just had to think it and my ship obey. Until, BOOM! Warning: internal combustion malfunction. “Damn second rate Dalkanowas!” I screamed as more warnings go off. But this time they said Warning: Incoming missile. I pulled the eject lever. Then I was out in space. I was floating a a peace came over me, the peace that only certain death can bring.

Less than a minute of oxygen and I just stared out into space admiring the stars. It got hard to breath then soon after the darkness started creeping in. I then lost consciousness.

…

…

…

Then I feel something. A sensation of coldness on my cheek. I slowly open my eyes to a crowded corridor. People all around me walking by; staring at me, the strange human, lying on the ground. I get up covered in mud and blood and oil. I ask the first person I see, “Hey, where am I.” He says, “Sir you are on Koje.”

HULK SMASH

Okay, So this one doesn't have anything to do with MOAG, or with the series of posters I did for my sister, but after taking my kids to see The Avengers yesterday, and not having any freelance at the moment, I got to do some art that I wanted to do, so here's The HULK.  I might try to do this as a set, one for each member of the Avengers.  The kids have already requested Captain America and Black Widow (my sister-in-law wants Thor to be next, you know the scene where he has his shirt off).  Anyway, we'll see if I have the time to do it.  Oh, and I think it's at the final size, 13x19, so feel free to print out a poster if you want.  Turns out it doesn't show up at the final size, so you'll just have to trust that I printed it out at 13 x 19.  And needless to say my kids think I'm awesome.

Anyway, enjoy.

I'm Still Alive. Last I checked...

So I talked to Wes the other day, and he suggested that I update the blog with anything that I've done recently, so here it is.  This is a book cover that I finished recently, it's the second in a trilogy (should be starting the third book in the fall).  Aside from this, I'm doing freelance design work for various clients, as well as keeping very busy at Disney.  I'll try to start updating things a little more regularly, but I promise nothing!

And just because I can, here's one more...

I did a series of posters for my sister about the Principles and elements of art, for a teaching class she's taking up at Weber State.  Anyway, they are all Super Hero themed, and while done fairly quickly, I like how they turned out (most of them anyway).  If you're lucky, and you can convince me to post the rest of them, maybe I will... 

How I Thirst (A Short Blurb from the Eyes of Selidor)

Eyes, closed,

I stand ‘midst the night and there is a sound.

The sound of scuttling. Scurrying. Buzzing.

Legs, thousands, scraping over the skin and under the armor and in my hair and I feel them. A hundred beetles digging their way into my flesh, all whispering at once until their voices rise up in a pulsing hiss. Death watch.

You know what to watch for.

I don’t want to watch I don’t want-

-I open my eyes. I am opening my eyes. A thousand wings of a thousand insects ink up my vision make all black and clouding filmy as I fall. With a scream that is blurred out by living static, I fall, I am falling. I fall into consciousness where there is only the thick air of a crowded room on some foreign planet.

There was a celebration. A week ago? Two? ...Five? Insects- or ormigites. One or the other, dancing, laughing, chattering. Chattering and chittering and buzzing over the skin. The skin of the planet.

I don’t want to be here where nothing belongs, where the insects speak instead of buzz; but I remember. In the catacombs and in the crowns, a tingle down my spine. They call it the Arts. I call it power. It trickles through this world like a broad river.

A river, and how I thirst.

I stare at the ceiling made out of heaven knows what, and I remember. There was a celebration. There were ormigites. There was a lizard, like Lagarto. And someone who could make hallucinations visible for all.

But

there was also a doctor. A cylonquin. What did he say? His voice is being blurred out by living static. But he lead me to that river, did he not? Did he not lay the gift of violence at my feet? What matters then these trite words.

A name trickles in, blood in the water, and I must separate it. Goddamn osmosis. I must separate, and I do separate it, and I find name that is Thegix.

Ah, yes. Doctor Thegix.

Perhaps I will pay him a visit later today. And perhaps he will lead me back to that river, to that balm in Gilead.

It is still the night, and so I let my mind rise back into sleep.

I close my eyes

and let the waves of black beetles engulf me once more.

The Adventure of La’Mar

This is something I threw together in a very short amount of time. It's a little story to get my Ucasi character into the Ormigite campaign that JJ will be doing on Friday. I haven't written for a while so please bare with me if it is bad.


La’Mar steps gently off of the transport ship and onto the Space Station. His eyes take in everything that surrounds him as quickly as his brain allows it… which is pretty fast. His head swings down to look at his prosthetic leg as he taps it on the strange metal of the floor. It makes a new sound that he has never heard before.

“How interesting this place already is.” He thinks, excitedly.

He continues down the hall looking at the sheer vastness of the place. The Ormigites were only discovered approximately a year ago and they have already compensated to the rest of the Universe. La’Mar smiles at the ingenuity of these strange creatures.

La’Mar bumps into something that feels like a wall or a column of stone and falls to the ground. He looks up and sees an Ormigite looking down at him. It says something in its own language and then extends a hand out.

“Fascinating.” La’Mar says quietly in Conach.

“I am sorry, I do not speak that language. Do you speak the language of the Macaneon’s?” The Ormigite asks… in Macaneon.

“I do.” La’Mar says as he is lifted to his feet. “But what did you just say in your language?”

“I said that I am greatly sorry that our paths converged in such a way and that I hope you are alright.”

“Amazing.” La’Mar smiles. “Can you say it in Formigan again?”

The Ormigite does and this time La’Mar picks up on half the words that are said.

“Your language is very much like Conach in that it uses the same clicks and pops, but in a much higher pitch. I also here some similarities to Cylonquin and the Human language English, but only very subtly. Ah! Gargonan speech is very—“

“I am sorry,” The Ormigite interrupts, “but I have to be going. I am apologize for walking into you.” Then he quickly scuttles off.

La’Mar smiles as the Ormigite walks away. He turns around to see that the hall has opened up into a vast commons area. Many Ormigites are walking to and from different locations, but there are several other species in the area as well. Some are trying to talk to Ormigites, but are having trouble with the Formigan languages. Others are using Universal Translators.

“Those things are so useless!” La’Mar thinks.

He takes a step out into the crowded area and takes in all the different words being spoken. Within fifteen minutes he thinks he has a rudimentary grasp of the Formigan language.

“Excuse me.” He says to a passing Ormigite, who turns immediately towards him. “Can you tell me where I will learn your writing language?”

The Ormigite stares at La’Mar for a moment and then says, “OH! You want to learn how to write Formigan?”

“Yes, please.”

“There is a school down the corridor behind you.” The Ormigite says, pointing past La’Mar. “They can probably help you there.”

“Much thanks.” La’Mar says and turns towards the corridor.

“This is the perfect place to start a new adventure.” La’Mar thinks. “Should I be a translator or a teacher? Maybe both.”

La’Mar continues on, wondering what the future will hold.


Anyway, this was really fun to do and I can't wait to play him on Friday.

Bot out.

Stories of Formiga: Scraggly and His Crazy Human Customs

Now there was this one time, that not much was going on in the Formiga Space Station. One might say that it was a quiet day, except that some extremely loud blues rock music echoed through the hallways. A young Ormigite intrigued by the sound followed the sound. With his 2 personal guards they weaved in and out of many different hallways till they came to one of the farthest points of the station.Most would think that the far points of the station’s arms are dark and lonely but with the music now loud and blaring the young Ormigite felt like he was at one of his family’s ritual parties. So energized by the exciting ruckus he practically runs down the long hall, comes upon a shop marked “Scrag’s Recycling” and walks right in.

Inside the shop is filled with all sort of junk and scrap metal imaginable, scattered everywhere it seems. Right in the middle of the piles of scrap is a large, heavy set man with dirty clothes and a oily charred welding mask. He is working on some sort of power armor that looks very old but somehow more sturdy than other armors. He seems to be welding, hammering, and slightly shaking his butt to the rhythm of the music. Completely perplexed by the strange human the young Ormigite walks right up to the man and taps him on the shoulder. Startled, the man drops his hammer, pulls off his welding mask and stares in confusion at the extremely small creature. After an awkward few moments of silence the man says, “Hey you’re one of them there ORMIGITES from the planet!”

Then in broken macaneon the Ormigite asks, “Do you perform ritual?” The man is slightly confused but assumes he is talking something about his old earth music.

The man replies, “Yes. Do you want to hear some really good stuff?”

And the Ormigite quickly answers, “YES! PLEASE YES!”

The human walks into the back room grabbing some sort of remote control on his way out. Suddenly the music’s volume increases from loud to blaring! For those who are familiar with pre-invasion earth, the song is “Who Do You Love” by George Thorogood & The Destroyers. As soon as there begins vocal singing in the music the human comes out from the back room bobbing and bouncing as he walks. On his way back in he snatches up a wrench and starts singing to the music. So electrified and animated by the singing and dancing he joins in with the human’s absurdity. The human hands the Ormigite a spare wrench and they both begin hollering to the music at the top of their lungs.

The music slowly fades out and the human takes out the remote and turns his stereo off. He says, “Man you little Ormigites really know how to party!”

To which the Ormigite replies, “Me very like the crazy human customs!”

“Well little guy, it was a pleasure rockin’ out with ya! My name is Scraggly George. And what is your name?”

“I am called Kol’ippa Xal’ika”

“Hmmmm... that’s kinda a mouthful. I’m a call ya Koli.”

The little ormigite just laughs. Then lost in his emotions bounces and mumbles what resembles the human song he just learned. He then says, “I must go now. You must come visit me in the palace. You must show ritual to my brothers and sisters! They will love, they will love you!”

Now there was this time, that some crazy human with his crazy human customs made a great friend with someone not of his class, not of his intelligence or power, not even of his same species. They were more different than night and day but these two became the best of friends.

Future Ormigite Campaigns and Info

Many years ago a small team of mercs possibly led by the illustrious (and maybe slightly infamous) Jaster stumbled upon a planet with an ant-like indigenous species. That planet is now called Formiga and the ant-like species are the Ormigites. Somehow, the information of the universal benefits of Formiga made its way back to the IGSS (Intergalactic Space Survey). They decided to return to the once surveyed planet for more research and data. Unexpectedly, contact was lost with the IGSS research group, so a team of mercs led by Captain Karkan and a Gargonan named Quar were sent to the planet. After many adventures; the IGSS team was saved, there was a unification of the many varied indigenous tribes, and friendly bonds with Planet Formiga and the rest of the universe were formed.

People you should know on Planet Formiga:
- Xi'mara Xal'ika: The Ormigite royal queen who is now the appointed queen over all Ormigite tribes.
- Kari'gatan Xal'ika: The Ormigite royal king who is now the appointed king over all Ormigite tribes.
- Kol'ippa Xal'ika: The youngest but most (will power) talented son of the royal family.
- Caf'inka: Called the "Voice of the Royals" once a royal of the black tribe was appointed the highest Duke/Secretary/Scribe position.
- Ka’jarin Xal'ika: The once outcast bastard son of Kari'gatan who after his many noble and prestigious deeds is now the liaison between the Ormigite Royals and the rest of the universe.
- Captain Karken: (Conara) Pretty much the owner of the Formiga Space Station and economic contact/businessman for the Ormigites.
- Lagarto: (Macaneon/Cyborg) Pretty much the head scientist/weapons inventor/merchant on Formiga Space Station and of the Ormigites.
- Scraggly George: (Human) A small time armor merchant on the Formiga Space Station who, due to his funny human customs, gained a close relationship with Kol'ippa the youngest son of the royal family.
- Dr. Thegix: (Cylonquin) The head researcher/linguist assigned to planet Formiga and first to make real contact with the Ormigites.

Formiga is now one of the quickest growing industrial planets. It has an ever expanding Space Station, a large number of factories that produce some of the best metals in the universe, and an almost entirely self run Ormigite Space Fleet. Formiga and its Ormigites will continue to grow in influence around the universe but at this time they are still quite unknown to most. Because of this we are doing a small MOAG Blog revival due to the last post being in October of 2011 haha.

My next several MOAG campaigns are going to be based on a more "close knit" group to the head Ormigites so I recommend that you play characters who have already had contact and some sort of relationship with them. BUT... if you do not want to play one of those characters (or even if you do), if you want to play with a different character, or even if you want to make a new character I have a task for you. Before Friday the 27th of April 2012 you must post on this blog a written (or drawn, or CG-ified) short story of how you have gained some sort of relationship with any of the above “Formiga Main Characters."

The post does not have to be long. It does not have to be well written, drawn, or whatever-ified. It is just a small activity for all of us to show our love and support of MOAG. Even if you will not be able to make it to MOAG this week I encourage you to try and make up some good stories and post them on the MOAG Blog. Have fun with it and lets all enjoy all of the upcoming MOAG Blog activity. Also if you are writing them for the upcoming Formiga Campaigns please put them under the label Stories of Formiga so we can all look them all up easily. Luv Ya all and you are all amazing!

- Juanito, over and out.