ADX – Guardians of Steel – Dragon Trinity Crash

As it stands the ADX Kickstarter has raised over $9’000.

We’ve got the main book and also Apotheosis of the Rose, Princess Drive.

Thank you internet for my Utena Evangelion. 😀

If it reaches $10’000 we get Stew Wilson’s Guardians of Steel.

Guardians of Steel

Stew Wilson can deliver. He’s written for White Wolf,  Werewolf the Apocalypse and Werewolf the Forsaken, and is the Author of one of my favorite games Aeternal Legends. Given this I’m looking forward to his Guardians of Steel.

It’s a game where every day people are gifted with guardian frames, special mech suits that are specifically suited for the individual.  If you’re a courier then your frame will move swiftly and with precision.  If you’re a wilderness buff it’ll have stealth. If you’re a a teacher your mech will have access to a vast database of information.

Since my day job is a software tester I imagine my frame would have the ability to spot the terrible, stupid, flaws in my enemies. Muhahahahahaaaaa!

The bad guys in this setting are bad ass. They originate from a nano-plague that takes over machines, makes them technobeasts and drives them to combine to make bigger, tougher, smarter technobeasts. These in turn worship an Elder God.

Play it as a cheesy 80’s cartoon or as a dark adventure of survival.

I’ll probably play both.

Dragon Trinity Crash

We’re still a ways off on this. We need $15’000 to hit the coveted DTC mark buuut it’s only day 12 out of 30, still plenty of time.

To whet your appetite I’m presenting some Dragon Trinity Crash Flash Fiction.

If you haven’t already please investigate the Kickstarter and back.

*****

The hooded stranger sat in the darkest corner of the common room. His glinting eyes watched the patrons as he puffed on his long pipe, seeking those who, out of the milling patrons, could complete his quest.

A young waitress, a doe of a girl really, advanced towards him. He nodded at her kindly, as mysterious as he was she had nothing to fear. . .

She walked past him and immediately opened the shudders. Sunlight streamed through, he screamed “Aaah! My eyes!” and fell out of his chair. The stranger stumbled out the front door and promptly fell off the porch.

“What’s his beef?” asked a Half-Elven woman dressed in blue and gold armor.

“Don’t mind him Dejana. He’s some old kook whose been bothering the guests about the Hunt.” Said Sasha, with a scolding glare aimed squarely at crumpled geezer.

*****

“. . . In short, Baron Von Warner must suffer.” concluded the squeaky voice.

Before Dejana were a dozen intense looking Gnomes. The chief held in his upright palm a sizable purse filled with rubies.

The sorceress eyed the prize with restrained greed. “Just like that? You’re not going to haggle?”

The Gnome replied with an even shake of his head. “No Lass. All the other adventures are going after the Hunt. You’re our last, best shot.”

The Half-Elf rolled her eyes. “That again. I’m no idiot, the leading cause of sorcerer death is taking jobs from random hobos.”

“To be honest we’re random Gnomes.”

“True, but the Inn vouches for you and,” she snatched the purse. “You’re no hobos. When do we start?”

*****

“THUNDER LANCE!”

Dejana released her power with a flash and boom. Baron Von Warner flew back, smoke curling from the seams in his armor.

She stood over him, glaring fiercely.

“Y-yes?” asked the Baron with a trembling, weak, voice.

She put an insulated boot on his chest, leaned in close, and said “You will give these Gnomes back their copyrights to be Dwarves.”

“That’s absolutely right!” chimed the angry crowd behind her.

“We’re tired of red hats!” “I held that wheelbarrow in one place for eight days!“ Do you know how many fish you can catch in an old woman’s backyard? NONE! That’s how many!”

“Fine, fine.” coughed the Baron. You can all be Dwarves again.”

The Gnomes cheered, throwing the aforementioned hated hats in the air.

“But mark my words.” The Baron’s voice suddenly became deep and reverberant and his eyes glowed from within in his helmet.

“My contacts with the Hunt will punish you severely.”

Dejana rolled her eyes. It was like some unseen malevolent force was trying to control her life, railroad her down a specific path as it were.

“Volt Sting!” She began slapping Warner’s helmet with an electrically charged hand. “I’m sick! And tired! Of hearing about! The HUNT!”

*****

Black smoke curled up into the gray sky. The walls of the inn, and most of the buildings of Dejana’s town, were charred and broken. Sasha lay face first in the dirt, her back slashed with a terrible wound. Roaring flame and crises of anguish filled the air.

A man in black chainmail stepped over Dejana’s prone, possibly dead, friend. The bronze clasp of his red cloak was a carved symbol of a dragon’s head over-top a drawn bow. A red bladed sword, whose edges licked with flame, was drawn in his hand. He smiled in welcome. “I’ve heard about you. The one adventurer who refused to ‘see’ us. Too bad the other fools in this town did not share your wisdom.

You may live so as to tell others about what happens when you cross the Hunt.”

This snapped Dejana out of her remorseful, wretched, shock. Still pale, voice trembling she addressed the crimson cloaked man. “Normally. I’d start off with a simple spell to test your strength. Blast Gush perhaps? Then I’d go for something fitting and more powerful, Thunder Lance for instance, and finish the fight with strength to spare. But you,” her expression suddenly grew wrathful. “I’ll turn you to dust right now!”

The knight swung his blade but it was suddenly knocked aside from the shockwave of Dejana’s invocation.

“Sky Father Bahamut hear me.

Sea Mother Tiamat hear me.

I call upon your love and hate between which crashes wave an thunder.

To weave forces that make even Giants tremble in fearful wonder.

Golden lightning, blue sea combine.

Power of Xalladale be mine!”

Lances of lightning crashed around the Haf-Elf as a torrential salt water rain poured down. The sorceress rose on the currents of power and suddenly electricity and water swirled around her in a great vortex. This in turn exploded outward causing currents of sea and lighting to dance along the grass and cobble stones. Standing where Dejana stood was a two story dragon construct of sapphire and gold.

“Now die!” Dejana’s voice howled like a demon as one mighty claw swooped down.

The Hunt Knight’s last words were “Oh crap.”