1st TurnPeace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.
Three hundred Inductees stood at attention in the vast hanger of the Dread Mandate. They were the sons and daughters of Empire from a dozen different worlds, assembled here to join the Vanacari. Their bearings were proud, and their eyes filled with purpose.
At the front of the assembled cohorts stood the newly appointed masters of the Vanacari. They were a disparate group, ranging from the familiar form of the humans to the exotic alien species. Some were focused on the inductees in front of them, others wandered away once their interest was lost.
Master Harrow paced before the cohorts. He was an old member of the Vanacari, who met his potential long ago. He led the small acolyte group on board the Dread Mandate, and they would be on the front lines of training this new group.
“For 200 years the Vanacari have defended the knowledge and wisdom of the Sith, preserving it from the unworthy. A legacy of stored power, being passed onto you if you should prove worthy of it. The Vanacari have served the Emperors proudly as the archives of the deepest rituals, and many famed Warlocks have trained in these halls. Perhaps one day you will number among them”
“We will teach you to bend the Force to your very will, to grant you power that few others can imagine. This power is not without price. You have sacrificed much to get here. You will sacrifice yet even more before you are finished. At the end of this road, however, you will be Vanacari, the possessors of ancient and secret power, and those enemies that stand against you will feel fear."
"Welcome to your new home.”
The Inductees began to clap as the order’s acolytes guided and directed them into their 3 cohorts of 100, and took them to their rooms and mess halls.They would form the foundation of the Vanacari’s future, if they had potential enough.
The Dread Mandate lay in orbit over the world of Zarcath. It was a harsh planet, covered in a primeval forest whose ancient depths held monsters that had driven off any serious attempt at exploiting the planet. An icy moon also orbited the planet. Small communities survive on the planet in massive barges that float above the canopies, and trade rare resources scavenged from below.
This was one of the last bastions of their ancient order, hunted down but not yet broken. On the fringes of the empire they would find their opportunity. And one had recently appeared that has garnered interest.
- A Civil War. Lord Decius, Master of the planet of Styrax, had grown jealous of the growing power and prestige of his Warlock Telvinus. Telvinius was sent into an unwinnable war against Lord Decius’s rival. Instead of dying as planned, he conquered his foes and earned himself yet more glory. Telvinus has not yet returned to the capital, but he has the loyalty of the majority of the army and fleet. Both sides are trying to attract allies in an attempt to tip the scales. Perhaps this could be turned into an opportunity for your order. Recommendation is to send some envoys and intelligence agents to scope out the potential for a deal.
-Explore the Vaults. The Dread Mandate was an ancient ship, made for a powerful lord of the Order, and a storehouse of some treasures. Unfortunately, none remain alive that are aware of all its contents. You will need to search it at some point, and given what could be in there, it may not be wise to trust it to the hands of acolytes.
-Exploit the planet below. Zarcath has some rather valuable resources on it, from biological products to sheer untapped metal reserves. If any could tame this planet, it would be Sith.
-Come up with a training plan for your Inductees. You are starting with three hundred, of which you are to train up a hundred as Acolytes and send back into service of the Empire. You can take promising apprentices with you, or teach classes for additional bonuses. You should also decide on the brutality of the training process, with the more intense the training the more likely you are to produce Knight level students. Live weapons training and deadly tests increase effectiveness, but also increase the chances of fatalities.
Welcome to the Game! All characters up to now are accepted. Turns will be a bit free form starting out, we may come up with formalized actions later. For now, pick a problem or goal, it can be one of the problems listed above or your own, and figure out a plan to accomplish or solve it. Please feel free to discuss plans and goals with each other, and if you have any questions or need more details please ask. Plan will be for the turns to last about a week, with potential mini updates occurring. Timeline for in-game turn is probably also about a week. Everyone starts off with a shuttle, so don’t feel the need to be stuck on board the Dread Mandate.
INCLUDE YOUR CHARACTER SHEET AS A SPOILER IN YOUR ACTION POST. If your action is long, please include a sentence summary highlighting main points/goals. And don’t be afraid to ask for more detail or if you can do something!
Dread Mandate:
Harrower class Dreadnaught
Modified with Intelligence Center: A hub stocked with listening and communication equipment allowing the coordination of an information gathering service. Greatly improves information gathering and covert efforts. Stay up to date on information around the galaxy, and comes with a company of Intelligence Agents.
2400 Crew Members
30 Acolytes
100 marines
50 Intelligence Agents
300 Inductees
60 Supremacy Star Fighters
14 Assualt Boarding Shuttles
6 Cargo Tenders
~ Shuttles (One for each PC)
The Vaults: Probably full of dangerous treasures and secrets too terrible to bear.
Prestige/Wealth: 20. 5 is invested in the Dread Mandate. 5 from archives throughout the Empire. 10 may be considered liquid and invested as you wish (can be in cargo ships, mining facilities, bribes to officals, you can be creative! Will probably come up with a formal list later, but currently you do not have enough standing to buy capital ships).