The Harlequin

[font=gothic][color=crimson]It would take me severa hours to convince my entire SHK class of that... Australian troops aren't neccssarily better, most people just feel better when it's foreigners dying . Again, politicians justifying their suvival. 28th time...[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]James, Cloricus hasn't even realised there is a reality yet... I don't personally believe this, but I'll off the viewpoint anyway. Bin Laden may very well wish to be a martyr, but, as we've seen, he is damn good at masterminding these kinds of attacks. Wouldn't it be better for his cause if he kept all the intelligent people alive, and used the idealistic, otherwise not particularly useful, stupid people for this? To do otherwise is like using a specialist troop unit for cannon fodder. America would never send their Specialist Marines in to a certain death situation, and it's the same idea here. Personally, I think Bin Laden is a damn good strategist, and I think there is some justice behind what he's saying. We don't really have the right to intercede in what really isn't our business. If those right wing, consumerist, capitalist, gutless, lapdogs who called themselves politicians had been more interested in doing their job, rather maintaining it, they would have kept out of what was essentially an internal conflict (I refer to the Middle East crisis as a whole here, not just Afghanistan). The only reason they interceded at all was for oil. And they did that because of public opinion. If they had done the right thing and stayed out of it, they would have lost their jobs. Their decision was pathetic self serving justification for their own existence. Politicians, and bureaucracy as a whole, make me sick. I'm aware that most people would prefer to lynch me for my opinions, I don't need to hear it again. 27th time...[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]I only recently discovered this most excellent band, and have a question to pose to people who may have more knowledge about them. I have looked for their albums, but have yet been unable to find any of them. I checked their website, but found nothing about them. Are they still being released in Australia? And, if you have heard of Nightwish, I'd be interested to hear your opinion of them.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]It started with the eruption. Twisting in its molten throes like a dying man, the pillar of ash and fire rent the sky, leaving tinged with an unholy darkness. The doom knell of its fury offered no room for respite, as the city was rocked by the fury of the outsiders. People ran, screaming, as liquid rock annihilated all that stood before it. Charred flesh left a bitter stench in the air, contesting with the mingled screams of men, women and children for sheer horror. The sound of stone tearing, the agonised cries of the earth's defiance, heightened the panic. People ran faster, screamed louder, cursed the leaders that brought this seemingly divine wrath upon them. The ground itself split, an abyss suddenly yawning below the doomed citadel. Terrestrial howls again pierced the air, as the subterranean world was suddenly crushed by a falling city. The great crack slammed shut to a hollow boom, the city's requiem spelled out by the groaning earth, and the weak sounds coming from those that survived. The air hang heavy, and the earth seemed tense beneath them... High above the primitive planet, a single ship hung suspended in geosynchonised orbit. A ship designed to house an entire race. A ship that very nearly equaled the size of the planet it slowly floated around. Dull grey, it glinted in the rays of the emerging sun. Strange protrusions were highlighted, and faded back into anonymity, as the ship drifted into exposure. The solar panels slid into place, catching their allotment of energy from the charged particles emitted from this insignifigant ball of gas, orbited by insignifigant planets. Or at least, that was the attitude taken by those on the ship. They were an ancient race, steeped in history, culture, and arrogance. "Seal the fissures". The command klaxoned through the ship. The mechanoid beings in charge of the task responded immediately, a complex array of dials, buttons, readouts and the like being instantly translated, understood, and modified to have the desired effect on the planet below. A few of the protrusions on the outer shell of the ship shifted in response, sending invisible, lightfast waves down, effecting the entire geology of the rock below. The Xirak'Tel had done their work to perfection. The planet below responded, their technology easily mastering the cycles of nature. The leaders on the ship smiled, and echoed their request to the planet below. Except for one. Vahnavoi sat back in his elongated chair, pondering why this was neccessary. He alone was against this. Yet all should be against this. The Xirak'Tel had corrupted their planet. Their scientists had devised the ship they know resided in, and the race moved on. Their technologies had told them with would happen. They were prepared, and they cared not for the fate of their world. Vulcanism again phased in, leaving it a lifeless hulk. They never looked back. So they had moved to the first inhabitable world, and razed it to, albeitly after living there for many decades. Long-lived, they cared not how long they spent there. Their arrogance deemed them supreme. So they moved to a third world. And destroyed it. And the next one, and the next one. Countless worlds have fallen before their rapacious use of natural resources, and vicious experiments on life and earth. Those experiments had led to the devices being used now. devices that controlled a planet's actions.Yet never, in their galaxy spanning travels, had they encountered other life forms. This was the first. And the measures taken had been drastic. Afraid of the unknown, the Xirak'Tel had sought to intimidate, to coerce the lifeforms below. The beings had responded as best they could. When the Xirak'Tel had demanded free access to the world, they had been rebuffed. A primitive weapon, a nuclear strike, had been launched against them. They had absorbed this futile attack with impunity, and reiterated. The leaders had again refused. The Xirak'Tel, incredulous that they should be resisted, had enacted the Queralein. The results were being seen below. Given the fate of one of their major cities, the Xirak'Tel were certain that the rest would capitulate. Vahnavoi sank back, shielding his eyes with his pale arm. He deliberated how to salvage this mess. He could see no viable way. The other leaders were debating amongst themselves, congratulating each other on the success of their plan. And the successful use of the devices they had enver dared try before. Midway through one such speech, another klaxon rang out, this one in warning. A robot trundled in, and diffidently informed what was going on. "The fissures have been sealed. All of them. Every last one of the entire planet." The gathered Xirak'Tel waited, unsure as to what this meant. The robot, seeing no sign of understanding, muttered to itself in a frequency to low to be heard, and continued. "Pressure is building up. The planet is quite literally about to explode." Pandemonium erupted. Xirak'Tel were shouting at one another, warning signals were going off, Xiraks were rushing to escape pods. More than enough were availabe, but still there was panic. The robot again muttered to itself, and left. Vahnavoi smiled grimly. He stood, holding his hands out for attention. Against everyone's will, they all fell silent. Vahnavoi spoke little, but when he did, he always had a point. "These consequences we brought upon ourselves. There is nothing to do but flee, regroup, and move to the next world." Although deemed soft by many, Vahnavoi still thought nothing of leaving a planet a wasted wreck. It was merely sentient life he worried for. Shouts of protest greeted his pronouncement. More robots moved in, forcibly removing the Girash, the councillors, from the chamber, taking them to their only hope. The entire race was ready. Nearly 3 billion Xirak'Tel waited for the ejection order. It was never given. The tortured earth at last could hold no more. Lava burst to the fore, breaching a hole mere centimetres in diameter. The entire viscera of the planet followed. A column of lava to dwarf the earlier eruption burst outwards, blinding and burning millions of people. Kilometres thick, it seared the very atmosphere as it leapt up, to be partly quenched by the cold of space, before running headlong into the ship. There was another explosion, audible easily on the planet below. The escape pods exploded outwards, some being driven to their fiery death, others propelled into the outer reaches of space, their guidance systems fried. No single pod escaped disorientation. They were equiped with machines to manufacture food, so no Xirak feared for his or her life. What drove them all to scared silence was the knowledge that they were not supreme, that they had been humbled. They hurtled through space, engaging in warp speeds, scattered to the far reaches of the universe. None of them knew what they would encounter. There was merely hope left to them now, and their innovation. On the shattered earth, chaos was subsiding. People wer calming down, taking stock of the new world, tending to their wounded. It was not until a few hours later that the next discovery was made. Machinery no longer worked. None of it. All over the world, people pondered this new doom. How could they survive without their creations? Why had this happened? The greatest scientists drew conclusions. When the planet's core had exploded outwards into space, the magnetic resonance of the world had changed. Parts used to working together under force were now useless, as everything had changed. Check your calender. It's 2017, 13 years after the attack. The Xirak'Tel would regroup, sending beacons to each other over unimaginable reaches of the empty void. Stricken by their failures, the order was given to return to the planet they nearly destroyed, to take their impotent revenge on those they deemed responsible. The humans. Yet some objected. Strenuously. A rebellion would rock the entire race. Led by the renegade who's name was nevermore spoken. Vahnavoi. He gathered those who felt that the race had gone too far. He gathered those still left on other planets, who had not managed to return. The disaffected, the criminal, he took them all in. He would destroy the race itself, before allowing their arrogance to overwhelm them again. The humans are in an almost medieval age again, swords and such becoming again prevalent. Barbaric tribes again emerge. Guns exist, but they are rare, very rare. There is no technology of recent times left. The world is a floating hulk. Entire regions exist that cannot be walked upon. Called the Broken Lands, their soils are not stable enough to hold together on their own, and had always relyed on the pressures beneath. Also, areas of land that have severed from the main skeleton of the planet, held in only by gravity. Floating islands, to which there is yet no way onto or off. And in the centre of what was once America, lies the gaping hole. One can venture to the other side of the world through the lightless sphere of the planet. But no one knows what will be found. Signs of life indicate that creatures down there may be much different to what humans thought. There may even be sentient forms of life, embedded in cavernous openings in the now exposed layers of the earth's crust. But on the surface, no world orders exist. This rpg is designed to give you almost limitless freedom. You can play as humans on the surface, or expeditionists into the great unknown inner reaches of the planet. Or, an undiscovered race that you can create yourself, living in the bowels of the planet, only now come to humankind's knowledge. You can be imperialist Xirak'Tel, the Xirak'Tel of the Great Rebellion, Xirak'Tel that live on distant worlds of your own devising. You can write your own race, civilisation, and for a large part, storyline. Play it as you will. As such, you'd better be a damn good rpg player if you want in. The Xirak'Tel are humanoid, though taller, thinner, and paler. They also have seven fingers to a hand, not including the thumb. Their skin quite often mottles, becoming any shade of the rainbow depending on emotion. They are intelligent, but physically inept. Their technology, and weaponry as such, is of the highest quality. Again, it is for you to decide your armoury should you play a Xirak'Tel (anyone who says something along the lines of "MarsDeath Ray or some other annoying cliche can and will be shot. No using both races though, unless you do a really good job of explaining why you should be allowed to. I would ask that everyone sign up as more than one character. This is because for a very large percentage of the rpg, your group will be on its own. I want interaction between people's groups to a minimum for now. Don't worry, everyone's story, no matter who they are, will tie in at the end. Please, just work with me here people. Character 1. Name: Lacroix Eldritch Race: Human Equipment: Twin scimitars, leather armour, tent, provisions. Location: Earth, surface. Bio: Served as an assassin in the previous world. Quickly adapted to the knew system of savage life, with no rules. Character 2. Name: Ryana Eldritch Race: Human Equipment: Bladed quarterstaff, provisions. Bio: Involved with Lacroix. Previously a theoretical physicist. Was rescued from savages by Lacroix, and taught to fight. Character 3 Name: Kinrade Sigfried Race: Human Equipment: M82 A1A Sniper rifle, kris knife, tent, provisions. Bio: Former sniper for American milita, Knights Of The Darkened Hearts, was in jail at the time of the attack. Broke out in the confusion, and hooked up with Lacroix and Asandir after nearly killing them. Character 4 Name: Asandir Ven'Gyr Race: Human Equipment: Twin reaper knives, etc. Bio: Former biotechnologist, travels with the other three in aid of his latest project, to map the biological changes that have taken place in the world. Eternal night beckons, coupled with the promise of shining redemption. Depending on how everyone plays, this sere landscape will be transformed into heaven, hell, or be obliterated under the weight of its own folly. Deliverance is at hand...[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Amazing as always Mike. I love your work. No, really, I do.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Eight people should do. If you want, sign up anyway, but I'll start it now.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Just a small picture I did up in Corel, mainly because I like the plastic effect. Opinions?[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Oh I've heard of Jimmy's Chicken Shack. I've heard of them a lot. One might even say ....too much. Raven's been rather obsessed with them ever since you gave her that cd.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Well, you managed to duplicate the effect admirably. MDE: Change the text, for one. It's hard to read, and pretty plain. As is the background. The picture is fine, but if I were you, I'd cut those pink flares off.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson][I]Lacroix stood exposed. In the middle of a small cavern, highi above Menzoberranzan. There were eight priestesses around him. Matrons of the top eight houses. He knew were he was.[/I] Baenre: We will march against Nilothakir. This is true. You will lead out armies. Go now. [I]Lacroix blinks once, shrugs, and walks down to the Academy. They'll have it all worked out for him. In his abscence, he forgotten the abrupt manner of drow interaction. That was probably the fastest promotion to general he'd ever seen. And without the pomp to. Lacroix wondered what would happen now he was in control of the drow armies. What could he do with the power?[/I] OOC: I won't be posting much from here on people. Just hurry up and attack the damn mage.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Except that at least has a deeper meaning. I doubt poptarts do.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Should have mentioned your character in your PM Lauren, would have saved time. And clean out your inbox damn it. Now, to save me some time, I'll just post the abilities of any I haven't already mentioned here. Archmage: Blizzard (Creates an area of falling ice spears), Water Elemental (Summons a powerful creature made out of water), Brillance Aura (Increases the mana regeneration rate of all around the mage) and Mass Teleport. Pretty self explanatory. Dwarf King: Storm Bolt (Throws a magical hammer made of lightning at whatever happens to be annoying the dwarf at the time), Thunderclap (slams the ground, damages nearby enemies, stuns them), Bash (stuns the enemy, does a lot of damage, its basically a really big whack), and Avatar (makes the dwarf really strong, fast etc). Farseer: Chain Lightning (Self explanatory), Farsight (self explanatory), Feral Spirit (Summons some wolves) and Earthquake. If you can't guess what that does... Blademaster: Wind walk (Makes the Blademaster invisible and alot faster), Mirror Image (creates an illusion of the Blademaster), Critical Strike (Again, a really big whack. Does a lot of damage) and Bladestorm (The Blademaster spins around alot. Anything next to him quickly becomes very small pieces.) Tauren Chieftain: Shockwave (Lines of force ripple outwards from the chieftain), War Stomp (stuns any nearby enemies), Endurance Aura (Makes those around him stronger) and Reincarnation (If the Cheiftan dies, he will rise again. Limited use) Priestess Of The Moon: Scout (Raises owl scout.), Searing Arrows (What it says. Arrows of fire), Trueshot Aura (Arrows of those around the priestess hit more and do more damage) and Starfall. (Like Blizzard, but a lot of stars come down instead of ice.) Keeper Of The Grove: Entangling Roots (Pretty damn obvious to me) Force Of Nature (Nearby trees uproot themselves and attack), Thorns Aura (Enemies are injured when they attack those around the druid) and Tranquility (Those around the druid heal very quickly). Demon Hunter: Mana Burn (Attacks a spell caster's energy. The spellcaster cannot cast magic, and the mana combusts. Explosive.), Immolation (Flames engulf the Demon Hunter, burning those around him), Evasion (Very hard to hit the Demon Hunter) and Transformation (The Demon Hunter turns into a large nasty demon with a ranged attack. Why a demon hunter turns into a demon is beyond me though.) Any further questions.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]I'm saying down from scratch. Its mostly just glowing edges. Lots and lots of glowing edges. As for what it looks like, I'm saying an eye of some sort. But it looks quite good. My personal favourite thing about it would be the tiering. I don't have broadband, and that took all of 2 seconds to download...[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]I seemed to have missed the point of this thread. Why do you give a damn about these ...people? Really, the problem isn't your immature, superficial, aggravating, unintelligent girlfriend, its your taste in people, and your penchant for making your life a problem.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson][I]The demons triumphed. The Burning Legion had won. The world is in ruin. Contention between races is forgotten. The only thing that remains is running. Hiding. Eking out a harsh survival on a sere landscape. The Demons are moving on, to even more distant lands. A small group is left to pacify the remaining orcs, humans and night elves. For they have decided that now is the time to reclaim Kalimdor. And the Undead have rebelled. They too, believe the demons must be dealt with. A small group of heroes will be sent in to destory the remains of the Burning Legion. Then the war will really begin.[/I] If you've never played Warcraft 3, don't worry. Just PM me, and I'll fill you in on what you need to know. First, which hero one chooses to be. Only one of each hero please. Human heroes: Archmage Paladin Dwarf King Undead Heroes: Deathknight Lich Dreadlord Orcish Heroes: Farseer Blademaster Tauren Chieftain Night Elf Heroes: Priestess Of The Moon Keeper Of The Grove (Druid) Demonhunter Again, if you haven't played Warcraft 3, I'll tell you what abilities your character has. Name: Lacroix Hero: Dreadlord Abilities: Carrion Swarm, Sleep, Vampyric Aura, Inferno.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]OOC: Pray, inform me when things start. Evil, as per usual. IC:[I]Lacroix willed himself into being with the coming of night. The pristine, silky blackness spilled over his soul, and his inner being answer. He was one with it. He was darkness. The God Of Shadows and night. He choose the form most befitting his stature, his majesty. The panther, black as his soul, cunning, an expression of liquid grace. He twisted into being, and roared his defiance of the the other aborning deities.[/I] OOC: Sorry for the short post. But it's an introduction.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson][I]Lacroix reached the ancient Mayan-style ruin set into the dense jungle. Although the natives were long dead, he walked cautiously along the overgrown stone paths. The skull was set were he left it. In the middle of the road. He picked it up.[/I] Lacroix: Hello Burlock. Burlock: Lacroix. Ze planes! Ze planes! [I]Lacroix spun. Burlock was right! There were planes in the sky. And they were landing. Lacroix ran to the beach, wondering who had decided to invade his abode.[/I] OOC: Sorry for thw short post. Medical reasons.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]1) Do you speak Japanese fluently? No 2) Have you taken a class in Japanese? If so, how many? Most of primary school. 3) Have you bought a book related to learning Japanese? If so, how many? Well, I used to have this textbook, but I think it died. 4) Can you count how many Japanese words you know? If so, how many? I could remember a few dozen, I just wouldn't know what they meant. But I know how to say "You are the Maggi two minute purple furry christmas tree" in German. Now that's an acheivement. 5) Do you know hiragana and katakana? No. 6) About how many kanji do you know? However many Raven decides to explain to me. 7) Do you have any friends or relatives that speak fluent Japanese? No. 8) Do you WANT to learn Japanese? Not at all. So why did I do this survey? 25th time...[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Aries has just unvieled the secret to most of my stuff... Damn. Oh well. Another trick is to make the image larger. Actually ripple it, making the ripples small in magnitude though. Place a lens flare over that, then ocean ripple and glass that. Moonlight on water.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]I can't believe you actually posted that crap. Really, write something decent if you want an English assignment. You don't need help on it, you need it burnt down around your ears.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Lacroix: Right now, force. Alastuin: That's out of character for you my love. Lacroix: I've been living in the Mire for forty years! Do you knoww hen the last time I had a good fire was!? [I]The collective silence and strange glances dissuades him not at all. He throws his head back and echoes out an undulating warcry.[/I] Lacroix: Time to have some fun. Naptha, limestone dust, pitch and a spark ought to fix this. Alastuin: I take it your coming then. Lacroix: Of course.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]I agree with Mike. Some of the words there were definately stretched to fit. Great job anyway. I just dislike the ...unoriginality... inherent in several aspects of the story.[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson][I]Water dripped onto his face. Lacroix woke with a start. He arose, his small wooden hut creaking around him. His meager possessions lay strewn about. Ignoring the usual clutter, Lacroix stepped outside. The sight never failed to take his breath away. Uninhabited, the island was one of the few unspoiled places on earth. The sky was a perfect blue. as was the water. The jungle was a thick enveloping canopy. He turned towards that darkened morass, that relfected him far better than the tranquility of the tropical beach vista in fron of his house. He entered that darkness, became one with it. He was not merely walking aimlessly. There was more to this island than was commonly known. It had once been inhabited. Lacroix was now off to some of the ruins that were around this island. And the walk gave time for reflections. The Dark Order had been somewhat ...benifical to him. Even if he didn't know any other life. BUt then they had dumped him here. Did they expect that to teach him not to raise intelligent questions that they didn't want asked? Lacroix sighed. He knew the chances of getting off this island were minimal. And although he hated these kinds of places, he didn't want to be anywhere else. He was safe, well fed, alone, asiding the skull of course, and he had a lot to interest him. The wildlife were large, dangerous, and primitive. Lacroix realised that this was his new course. He would protect this island. [/font][/color][/I]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Hmmm. I, in contrast to the other answers here, have created an entire personality, a facade, that I use around other people, including family and friends. It's like the real me only in the ways I want it to be. In reality, there are only two people in the world who really know me. Neither of them are family. Everybody talks to themselves. At least those of us who admit to it aren't in denial! 24th time...[/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]Looks interesting. Name: Lacroix Sigfried Race: Human, with a little faerie (that's not fairy by the way. I'm talking about the six ft tall nasty ones who used to carve people up) blood from his Celtic ancestry. Age: Unknown, probably about 23. class: Whatever he wants to be... His current pose: High Priest of the god Cockroachical, god of the undead cockroaches appearance: Six foot tall, and exceptionally slender. Lacroix's skin is overly pale. His hair is raven black. He wears it tied back in a ponytail, held with a ring of beaten silver. His eyes are a glacial blue. He always wears black, and always wears goth make up. bio: Lacroix never knew his past. He doesn't mind though. He's having too much fun. In his life, he posed as just about everything. He's been a spy, assassin, rockstar, university student, athlete, worker, merchant, priest, politician. Everything. He can change his identity at will, but everyone knows who he is. A night on the town with Lacroix you will never remember, but the hangovers will tell you it was the best thing you've ever done. Somewhat eccentric, more than slightly insane, a enigma that people can't help themselves but to try and solve. And it all goes up in smoke at the flick of a well tailored wrist, and Lacroix laughs at your confusion from his latest guise... location: Top of his high rise apartment in the city, where he preaches to the converted (the dead cockroaches behind his fridge) century;New age[/font][/color]