Shemarrian-related fan creations

[DhAkael]

Born in '67. Unless somebody's been born earlier, I'm geezer-otaku here.

Only 1973 here
Though I do have the distinct honour having seen the Ramones twice live in concert (and even got to meet Joey Ramone backstage) as a wee-nitt, and catching 3rd showing first day of the first Starwars.

[DhAkael]

Damn Kronos; youze doin' good.

[kronos]

Born in '67. Unless somebody's been born earlier, I'm geezer-otaku here.

Only 1973 here
Though I do have the distinct honour having seen the Ramones twice live in concert (and even got to meet Joey Ramone backstage) as a wee-nitt, and catching 3rd showing first day of the first Starwars.

Ok.. so three of the primary posters are all over 30

Damn Kronos; youze doin' good.

Thanks. I'm doing the best I can. I just dislike how I can't copy and past tables in the wikia. At least that I can figure out so far. I don't know how it will take pasting a table from an outside source. But ones made in the edit/creation screen you can't just copy and paste. Plus navigating between cells is a pain!

[89er]

Or Option E for the NEMA concerns Hoyt's hand in affairs. Realizing that NEMA Corps would have problems coping to their new environment let alone civil wars between androids and infernals, He visited ARCHIE-3 and made a deal with him. Hoyt would transport the 29k meat Popsicle to another universe, far from the Shemarr, the minion wars, Republicans and Rifts Earth in general. In exchange, a new ARCHIE will be created as a reminder to the Shemerrians of their origins, but that's for much later.

On a series of O'Neil Habitats, staff from M3S would thaw out small batches of NEMA and aid them in coping with their new reality. Everyone would have some minor mind scans to know what people to unfreeze together to help others deal with the adjustment to being an army without a nation. That on top of the other sentient species, future shock, new geopolitical landscape, horizons beyond your planet, magic being real, lost love ones and the weight of the Neemen legacy.

My idea, keep them as far away from Rifts Earth as possible until it dies down and know not everyone will adapt.

[guardiandashi]

born in 1972 here so I am not a spring chicken either

[taalismn]

Or Option E for the NEMA concerns Hoyt's hand in affairs. Realizing that NEMA Corps would have problems coping to their new environment let alone civil wars between androids and infernals, He visited ARCHIE-3 and made a deal with him. Hoyt would transport the 29k meat Popsicle to another universe, far from the Shemarr, the minion wars, Republicans and Rifts Earth in general. In exchange, a new ARCHIE will be created as a reminder to the Shemerrians of their origins, but that's for much later.

On a series of O'Neil Habitats, staff from M3S would thaw out small batches of NEMA and aid them in coping with their new reality. Everyone would have some minor mind scans to know what people to unfreeze together to help others deal with the adjustment to being an army without a nation. That on top of the other sentient species, future shock, new geopolitical landscape, horizons beyond your planet, magic being real, lost love ones and the weight of the Neemen legacy.

My idea, keep them as far away from Rifts Earth as possible until it dies down and know not everyone will adapt.

Not enough work done on O'Neil habitats because they are both incredibly awesome and incredibly impractical. They're also, at least to me, scary as hell....I keep seeing some space shuttle or piece of space junk slamming through the window bays.
Of course, with superscience, those panes would have more MDC than a Protector-class battleship, and have forcefields as well, but if you got that sort of tech, you probably have artificial gravity as well, so why not build a proper James Blish spindizzy City in Flight?

[guardiandashi]

or if you want to be really crazy you start building Troy class "battleglobes" walls of 1-1.5km thick nickel iron.... (cue the imperial march music) http://dmeb.net/dveb/sounds/march.mp3

[taalismn]

or if you want to be really crazy you start building Troy class "battleglobes" walls of 1-1.5km thick nickel iron.... (cue the imperial march music) http://dmeb.net/dveb/sounds/march.mp3

For the truly paranoid.

[89er]

or if you want to be really crazy you start building Troy class "battleglobes" walls of 1-1.5km thick nickel iron.... (cue the imperial march music) http://dmeb.net/dveb/sounds/march.mp3

For the truly paranoid.

The points was to have the NEMA in other habitats far away from the speculative fiction Coachella that is Rifts Earth. They could cope with the trauma in time and be weeded out for problematic souls.

[DhAkael]

Nawh... I like my NEMA nice & twitchy. You have no idea how they're gonna react on a person to person or mass-mind level.
MAAAAybe they'd be grateful to their Gynoid saviour / overmistresses. MAAAAybe they'll go all 'Imperium of Man' and kill everything that moves that isn't human norm, Or, they curl up in small weeping balls of nerves and try to rock themselves back into hibernation.

Sadly; as canon, the Repub's would have first crack at the NEMAcicles and sadly 75% of the canon written material has them as being almost as bad (if not worse for their duplicitous back-stabbng natures to the rest of Rifts North Am.) as the Prossek boys...who they created / propped-up if the text is to be believed.
Kevin Siembiada didn't leave much wiggle room for those GM's lacking in chuztpa, willing to go off-script (like a vast majority of the people on other forum threads).

In 'verse for me? The NEMA are still on ice as of PA 110, and there is a FALSE NEMA kicking around [In the 3 Galaxies as the Neo Earth Military Alliance; long story, had to be there] which were part of the imediate post-flash NEMA forces until a massive rift punted them and their entire high-tech facility into the Tri-Gal 'verse. Sadly the falsies are led by a theocratic xenonphobic group of radicals. They'd get along great with the CS except the CS would considder THEM alien scum.

[taalismn]

Wanted to keep to a self-imposed promise of every page of this thread having some new statted material:

Cyvern----Aerial Attack Cyberbeast
(aka ‘Dragon-Eel’)
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/corvus_zpspjsmloo3.jpg

“You know what really freaks me about these things? The fact that they don’t seem to have any eyes. You’ve got this seemingly blind set of flying jaws coming at you, relentless, remorseless, devoid of any expression except hunger for your blood.”

The ‘Cyvern’ is an EShemar ‘enimal’ or robot drone in the service of the Thousand Dragons. The Cyvern seems to have been thrown together from battlefield scraps, or at least from copied technology, specifically Kittani technology. As many more Cyverns have been sighted than particular components of Kittani tech could possibly have been salvaged, it is considered a deliberate move on the part of the 1KD tribe to mock their Kittani opponents with the visual aspect of the drone-animals.
Cyverns resemble the weapons head of the Kittani Dragon Dreadnought, with attached neck, now serving as a tail(often the tail appears to be lengthened with a stretch of Serpent Power Armor lower body). Four clawed legs, apparently lifted from Kittani ABSS-2 Security Drones and fitted with claws from ABW-4 Work Drones, are mounted around the head, while almost as an afterthought a pair(or several pairs) of wings from Kittani Flying Fox armor(even though the Cyvern really flies under the power of a contragravity system). The Cyvern is equally at home in the air or underwater, making it ideal for pursuing the rogue dragons and Splugorth minions that are the Thousand Dragons’ primary prey.
The Cyvern is occasionally used as a Warmount, with an appropriate saddle harness bolted on, but only the most foolhardy riders would dare try to ride it bareback, as it is a very rough and slippery ride(-15% to Ride Exotic Animals), and the Thousand Dragons do not consider the Cyvern a proper warmount. Instead, it more commonly flies free as an attack animal(in this regard it is often compared to the EcoS-K-21 Orobos, which is more often allowed to operate autonomously, rather than be ridden). It is often regarded as the Thousand Dragons’ equivalent of the Shemarrian Wolf(which is noticeably rare among the ranks of the fringe tribe), with entire packs of Cyverns often accompanying 1KD warriors into the field. The Dragons have been known to sic these packs on enemies, overwhelming them by sheer weight of numbers, or use them to flush prey out of hiding.
The Cyvern is only occasionally ‘awakened’ with an Ecotroz essence; most are left as expendable drones. Those that are ‘Awakened’ are typically part of the favored retinue of accomplished warriors and hunters.
The Cyvern is most commonly found with their originating tribe, the Thousand Dragons, where individual sub-tribes maintain their own(and cosmetically distinctive) flocks of these cybercreatures, in some cases having massive flocks festooning the hulls of their arkships and aeries. Outside of the 1KD, the Sapphire Cobras and Darkwaters are known to use the Cyvern, and the Lost Eclipse is rumored to have evinced an interest.

Type: EcoS-KaG1KD-02 Cyvern
Class: Robotic Warbeast
Crew: None; robot intelligence
1 rider/pilot, and room for 1 passenger can potentially be carried.
MDC/Armor by Location:
Head/Main Body 250
Tail 200
Wings(2-4) 150 each
Legs(4) 90 each
Height: 7 ft
Width: 7 ft, 13 ft wingspan
Length: 35 ft
Weight: 2 tons
Cargo: Small space inside/beside the saddle-seat for a few personal possessions and sidearms.
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 30
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 20 year energy life
Speed: (Running) Slithering on the ground, the Cyvern can make 50 MPH
(Flying) 300 MPH, maximum altitude of 12,000 ft
(Space) 500 MPH
(Underwater) 45 MPH
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Ecotroz-Shemar
Systems of Note:
Full optical systems, laser targeting, passive nightvision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has motion and heat detection, built-in radar( 60 mile range) , sonar(3 miles), and other standard power armor-equivalent systems. Additional/special sensors may be built in by the creating Spinsters or at the behest of individual riders/owners.

*Bionic Cybernanite Repair Systems---ALL Cyvern have the same bionic nanotech repair system that the Ecotroz Shemar have refitted themselves with, and which is becoming the standard among NeShemar as well. These systems repair 4d6 MD per hour, and can repair 40 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.


Weapons Systems:
1) Plasma Cannon----The Cyvern mounts a high-powered plasma cannon inside its mouth; just open wide and shoot.
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1d4x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: Three times per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Wing Blades(2-4) ---The wings are edged with slashing vibroblades
Range: Melee
Damage: 2d6 MD on a sideswipe/fin slash.

3) Claws(4)----The Cyvern mounts four sets of raptor-like claws, one ventral and one dorsal. In additional to slashing rakes, the claws can also be used to hook and drag targets.
Range: Melee
Damage: 2d6 MD

4)(Optional) Wing Lasers(2-4) ---Part of the original Flying Fox wings, these have also shown up on Cyverns, giving them additional firepower.
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

5)(Optional) Wing Mini-Missile Launchers(2-4) ---Part of the original Flying Fox wings, these missile launchers have also been observed on Cyverns, giving them extra punch.
Range: Varies by Missile Type(Mini-Missile)
Damage: Varies by Missile Type(Mini-Missile)
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-4 per launcher
Payload: 4 per launcher, 8 per wing

Programming:
The EShemar have installed robotic AIs, then sometimes infected the matrix with a low-level Ecotroz sentience. The Cyvern tends to have a wolf-like personality; fierce, aggressive, pack-oriented, and driven to hunt and pursue.

Typically has the same programming as for the Monst-rex and Monst-crane, plus the following:
Underwater Navigation 40%(+5% per level of experience for Ecotroz entity)
Track and Hunt Sea Animals 50%(+5% per level of experience for Ecotroz entity)
Pilot Jet Fighter 70%(+5% per level of experience for Ecotroz entity)(for maneuvering purposes).

The Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Cyvern intelligence and design is such that it is limited to skill selections from Technical: Language(understanding) and Lore, Espionage(Detect Ambush, Detect Concealment), Wilderness(Track Humanoids, Track Animals, Hunting, Identify Plants and Fruits)
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 5
Initiative +2 (+1 from the Ecotroz entity for a total of +3)
Dodge +2 on ground, +5 in flight, +3 underwater
Automatic Dodge +2
Strike +1 (+2 w/ ranged weaponry)
Roll +3
Pull Punch/Strike +3
Bite 1d4x10 MD
Claw 2d6 MD
Head Butt/Body Block 2d4 MD
Tail Lash 3d6 MD


Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment(if introduced) inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Cyvern an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot.

The Ecotroz fragment does occasionally need sleep/rest...though they only need 2 hours of rest/meditation per 24 hours...they can push this, going without for as many days as they have I.Q. points(most Warmounts, unless otherwise noted, have an effective IQ rating of , but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.
Susceptible to Exorcism and Banish spells, but are +6 to save against such spells, +1 at levels 4, 8, and 12 of experience, and becoming IMMUNE at level 14 and up. Such Banishment causes the ‘bot to revert to its default robot programming. (OPTION: Ecotroz may become IMMUNE to Exorcism and Banishment with experience, and NEW BUILT EShemar constructs are immune to this)

Note also that the Ecotroz-possessed ‘bot can infect other bots with the Ecotroz viral-entity, by bite or sustained touch(takes 3 attacks).

Options:
*Nose Horn---3d6 MD on a head butt/ram
*Self-Destruct---1d4x100 MD to 70 ft blast radius

Variants:
*EcoS-KaG1KD-02B---The ‘heavy’ version of the Cyvern, since many EShemar regard the base model to have ‘eggshell protection’. Sometimes called an ‘aerial bulldog’, the -02B model has 320 MDC main body, and 25% more weight, but reduces maximum flying speed by 25%.

*EcoS-KaG1KD-02EWS---’Shrieker’ variant, fitted with electronic jammers. So-called both because of the static it generates in enemy sensors and because of the high-pitched squeal it makes in attacking. Gives radar-guided weaponry a -4 to strike the drone. Or it can be used offensively, to foil ALL radar-guided weaponry in a 15 mile radius(-2 to strike).
Also carries a mini-radio jammer, that can pump out enough multi-wavelength white noise to jam civilian band communications with 90% effectiveness, and military comms with 70% effectiveness, over a 20 mile radius.

*EcoS-KaG1KD-02G ‘Gulper’----The ‘Gulper’ or ‘Snatcher’ variant does away with the mouth-mounted weapon in favor of enough space to trap and hold a human(oid)-sized target. The ‘grab sac’ can also be fitted to deliver sedative gases or electrical shock to further subdue the prisoner.

*EcoS-KaGDW-02a----Darkwaters variant, meant for deep space combat. The KaGDW-02a can hit speeds of Mach 5 in space, and has special molecular adhesion pads that allow it to ride ‘remora’ on other spacecraft.

*EcoS-KaGDW-02b ‘ScreamEel’----Second Darkwaters variant, intended for deep sea attack/patrol. Slightly more streamlined and stealthy( -20% to detect using sonar), with greater undersea speed(50 MPH). The forehead is also slightly more bulged, concealing an enhanced sonar(6 mile range), molecular analyzer capable of sniffing blood and other chemical traces in the water, and the mouth plasma weapon is replaced by a sonic projector. The wing missile lasers are switched to blue-green frequencies, and launchers are typically fitted with torpedoes. The KaGDW-02b also has the ‘remora pads’ of its deep space brother.
----Sonic Cannon
Range:(Sonic Blast) 1,800 ft underwater, 600 ft in air
Damage:: Wide Beam: 4d6 MD to a 30 ft area
Concentrated Beam: 1d4x10 MD per blast
Sonic weapons do HALF damage through light ‘soft’ armors like MDC barding and padded armor.
Unprotected personnel must save versus non-lethal poison (16 or higher) or be stunned for 1d4 melee rds. People in sealed power armor save at an 8 or higher for the wide area blast, but make a standard save for the concentrated blast.
Sonar Blast----This is an enormous ‘belch’ of sonic cacophony that can blind sonar systems within range with a mass of ‘white noise’, knocking them out for 1d4 melees. Sonar and acoustic homing systems will lose target lock, and sonar-using creatures will be stunned and ‘blind’ for 1d4 minutes.
Vibration Blast---This takes up ALL attacks per melee to initiate and maintain, and consists of focusing a low powered beam on a sealed ship(submarines are ideal), and gradually inducing an ultra-low frequency vibration throughout its structure. While this doesn’t do any damage per se, it does affect the hearing and inner ears of crewmembers, causing creeping disorientation and increasing unsettledness, leading up to nausea. After one melee people with unprotected hearing(or un-insulated contact with the ship’s hull structure) will be -1 to strike, parry, and dodge, and -5% to skills(they become easily distracted). After two melees they are -2 to strike, parry, and dodge, -10% to skills, and are -10% to their sense of balance...and so on...People with protected hearing are immune to the effect, but beings with enhanced hearing are TWICE as susceptible to the effects.
This setting is most effective against vessels 60 ft long or smaller...larger vessels will take an extra full melee per 50 ft of length for this to work...or several cannon working in concert, to be effective.

Rate of Fire:(Sonic Blast) ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited

*EcoS-KaGSc-02----The Sapphire Cobras were early trade allies with the Thousand Dragons, and acquired the templates to make their own. The EcoS-KaGSc-02 is distinguished by having an iridescent blue metallic scaling that partially reflects lasers(do 1/3 LESS damage, and laser-guided weapons are -1 to strike). The Sapphire Cobras also seem likely to have outfitted their Cyverns with their ‘Serpent’s Kiss’ nano-venom injectors.

[kronos]

Wanted to keep to a self-imposed promise of every page of this thread having some new statted material:

Cyvern----Aerial Attack Cyberbeast
(aka ‘Dragon-Eel’)

Nice. Always good to see fringe tribes getting some love.

[taalismn]

Wanted to keep to a self-imposed promise of every page of this thread having some new statted material:

Cyvern----Aerial Attack Cyberbeast
(aka ‘Dragon-Eel’)

Nice. Always good to see fringe tribes getting some love.

Grubbing through the spare parts bit of salvaged Kittani designs is always good for improvised warmounts and warbeasts. Toss in Titan Works hardware and Northern Gun stuff to add variety to your 'bitzers'.

[kronos]

Here's a little more Fringe Tribe addition.. IceFlame's turn!

Cyro-Rapier
One of the signature weapons of the IceFlames Tribe is their Cryo-Rapiers, able to freeze flesh they pierce. The vibro field of the blades then shatters the frozen crystalized flesh. The IceFlames have started to share these weapons with some of the other tribes for support in their fight against the Infernals on their homeworld, as these weapons prove particularly effective against Demons and Deevils that are vulnerable to cold.
The Cryo-Rapier is a bit of a departure from normal Shemarrian bladed weapons as many are designed for powerful slashing or chopping strikes, while the rapier is designed for piercing attacks, which many of the other tribes are finding a little difficult for some to use effectively. Members of the Silvermoon, Hawkmoon, Wayfinders, Horrorwoods, Darkwaters and especially the Sapphire Cobras have taken to the blades far more readily than Blood Riders and Skullcrushers.

Weight: 9 lbs
Range: Melee
Mega-Damage: 3d6 M.D. plus frost plus shatter.
Special Notes: Frost - 2d6 M.D. of incredible cold damage, plus target suffers -2 to P.P. and -10% to all skills requiring fine dexterity for 1d4 rounds. This affects cyborgs and robots as well undead. Living mortal/Hit point creatures who are protected by non-environmental M.D. or magical armour are shilled to the bone and must roll to save vs numbing cold (14 or higher). Failure to save they suffer 1d6 S.D.C/Hit Point damage. Mega-damage beings, like dragons and demons must roll 10 or higher to save vs numbing cold. Failure to save means they suffer 1d4 M.D.
Shatter - If the target failed their save, the vibro frequency of the Cryo-Rapier is at just the right frequency that shatters ice easily, dealing an extra 2d4 M.D. to mega damage armours and creatures, or 3d4 S.D./Hit Points to mortal creatures, plus suffer -1 P.B. due to the horrible scarring left from the wounds.
Note - Against creatures vulnerable to cold (fire elementals for example), suffer double damage from Frost, plus their saves are +4 higher (18 for S.D.C./Hit Point creatures, 14 for mega-damage creatures). Against creatures made of ice, they don't suffer any cold damage from Frost, but suffer an additional 4d4 M.D. damage from the vibro field of the weapon.

[taalismn]

Ewww...I can just sense the supercold vapor/liquid skinning the blade fractaling out like the arms of a snowflake, embrittling internal capillaries, freezing tissues solid, then causing fracture shock, whole chunks of Infernal popping and cracking off.

[kronos]

Ewww...I can just sense the supercold vapor/liquid skinning the blade fractaling out like the arms of a snowflake, embrittling internal capillaries, freezing tissues solid, then causing fracture shock, whole chunks of Infernal popping and cracking off.

Well the IceFlames do fight a lot of infernals.. I left the actual 'how does it work?!' out as.. well.. it could be super cold liquids (super liquid nitrogen?! or other coolants) or some kind of vapor released via a chemical reaction within the hilt of the weapon which is force feed through the blade.. Ooooh.. now there's an area denial weapon.. vapor that looks like fog.. but freezes anything that enters it!

I still gotta figure out some pseudo plausible scientific way of making a plasma weapon that also throws super cold for thermal shock...

[taalismn]

Freeze weapons have always posed a bit of a quandry for me...I LOVE the concept and the visuals, but making the WORK stat-wise and justifying the damage characteristics has always been problematic for me("You know, simple insulation would defeat that effect?")...it's stalled at least six different WIPs.

[kronos]

Freeze weapons have always posed a bit of a quandry for me...I LOVE the concept and the visuals, but making the WORK stat-wise and justifying the damage characteristics has always been problematic for me("You know, simple insulation would defeat that effect?")...it's stalled at least six different WIPs.

The stats I got for the Frost ability, i got from one of the battle automatons from federation of magic, which i modified to be a bit weaker, and added in the Shatter ability. I still haven't gotten to the actually Ice spell I saw referenced at one point while skimming the book.

[kronos]

A few more updates (mostly small ((some linking and category additions)) ) plus I uploaded the original Lexicon taalismn put up.. which I hope he has more for it to be updated with, or can help me find more to update it with.

[taalismn]

A few more updates (mostly small ((some linking and category additions)) ) plus I uploaded the original Lexicon taalismn put up.. which I hope he has more for it to be updated with, or can help me find more to update it with.

I think I have a few more words....I'll look it over to see if anything is missing.

[DhAkael]

A few more updates (mostly small ((some linking and category additions)) ) plus I uploaded the original Lexicon taalismn put up.. which I hope he has more for it to be updated with, or can help me find more to update it with.

Just letting you know; you are madman sir. Brilliant and brave to a fault but a madman
I'll have a bit more fluffy text ready at some point this eve (taking a breather from daily-grind today to get some use out of my muse who has been sorely ignored for the past 9 days ). As for cold, hard stats? -snrk- 'On yer own.

[kronos]

A few more updates (mostly small ((some linking and category additions)) ) plus I uploaded the original Lexicon taalismn put up.. which I hope he has more for it to be updated with, or can help me find more to update it with.

Just letting you know; you are madman sir. Brilliant and brave to a fault but a madman
I'll have a bit more fluffy text ready at some point this eve (taking a breather from daily-grind today to get some use out of my muse who has been sorely ignored for the past 9 days ). As for cold, hard stats? -snrk- 'On yer own.

'We're all a little bit mad, here'....
A bit more updating. Minion War, Shemarrians and Demons, Shemarrians in Space got a large update.

If possible, for any future postings, especially for background info/fluff, here, could it be possible to break it down into sections a bit more than before? Makes it a little easier on me for uploading. I've pulled stuff from several different Advanced Cultural Notes posted and put into one post (like the Three Galaxy sections and Progen, each having at least 3 postings each!), and there might be some doubling up by accident. Also I have to take some sections from different Advanced Cultural Notes and shorten them in that posting and expand in another one (like some references to the Minion War and such).

[DhAkael]

A few more updates (mostly small ((some linking and category additions)) ) plus I uploaded the original Lexicon taalismn put up.. which I hope he has more for it to be updated with, or can help me find more to update it with.

Just letting you know; you are madman sir. Brilliant and brave to a fault but a madman
I'll have a bit more fluffy text ready at some point this eve (taking a breather from daily-grind today to get some use out of my muse who has been sorely ignored for the past 9 days ). As for cold, hard stats? -snrk- 'On yer own.

'We're all a little bit mad, here'....
A bit more updating. Minion War, Shemarrians and Demons, Shemarrians in Space got a large update.

If possible, for any future postings, especially for background info/fluff, here, could it be possible to break it down into sections a bit more than before? Makes it a little easier on me for uploading. I've pulled stuff from several different Advanced Cultural Notes posted and put into one post (like the Three Galaxy sections and Progen, each having at least 3 postings each!), and there might be some doubling up by accident. Also I have to take some sections from different Advanced Cultural Notes and shorten them in that posting and expand in another one (like some references to the Minion War and such).

I'll see what I can do. I make abolutely no promisses. But I'll try and at least make sure that they are in sequential order and note what category they belong...maybe

[taalismn]

I should have a (very) general overview of the formation of the Shemarrian Nation, a quick primer for people new to the whole alternity, ready to post tonight for peer review and discussion as to what should/can be added/corrected.

[kronos]

A few more updates (mostly small ((some linking and category additions)) ) plus I uploaded the original Lexicon taalismn put up.. which I hope he has more for it to be updated with, or can help me find more to update it with.

Just letting you know; you are madman sir. Brilliant and brave to a fault but a madman
I'll have a bit more fluffy text ready at some point this eve (taking a breather from daily-grind today to get some use out of my muse who has been sorely ignored for the past 9 days ). As for cold, hard stats? -snrk- 'On yer own.

'We're all a little bit mad, here'....
A bit more updating. Minion War, Shemarrians and Demons, Shemarrians in Space got a large update.

If possible, for any future postings, especially for background info/fluff, here, could it be possible to break it down into sections a bit more than before? Makes it a little easier on me for uploading. I've pulled stuff from several different Advanced Cultural Notes posted and put into one post (like the Three Galaxy sections and Progen, each having at least 3 postings each!), and there might be some doubling up by accident. Also I have to take some sections from different Advanced Cultural Notes and shorten them in that posting and expand in another one (like some references to the Minion War and such).

I'll see what I can do. I make abolutely no promisses. But I'll try and at least make sure that they are in sequential order and note what category they belong...maybe

That's all I ask. If there's a HUGE section on something already posted (like minion war), definitely have that in it's own section. If it's only a short paragraph reference, a small section off (like a new line or something) will easily let me just make it a sub section/heading. The larger reference I could move to the relevant page later.

@taalismn : Sounds awesome. Of course I won't get home until after 1 am (damn public transit is far more limited in the GTA, especially between the cities that are not Toronto itself linking to Toronto, after midnight. Which is weird considering how damn close it is to the airport AND a casino!

[kronos]

Now for a huge headache.. I'm attempting to make an infobox that is generic for both armour (environmental/non) and power armour... oh the number of possible fields i need to create just to make it. possible fields for wings, thrusters, ammo drum, missile launchers, weapons.. secondary wings (like the samas), weapons.. *rubs head*

[DhAkael]

The Great Work; Pt. 2
The pair of Wayfinder Shemarrian “warriors” followed their formerly female-framed-now-gender-appropriate male scout guide.
Franklyn "F2@k1yn Neuromancer" picked his way through the debris of Tolkeen’s under-city, letting his vision switch between the enhanced optics of his robotic body and the ubiquitous magitech third-eye in his forehead. Though the going was tedious and slow, he decided the debate behind him between his colleagues was even more tedious.

“But surely Solarii Secundus; you have to admit it all fits. Yes yes yes I know that I’m basing my theory on a fictional concept, but what religion isn’t?” Argued Ami Icehellion: once a young human-norm techno-wizard, now inhabiting a heavily modified Shemarrian warrior ‘body’.

Ami’s companion and counter-view debating partner, Rachel Pasteur-Lyle (2nd Solarrii) shook her head slowly, allowing her synthflesh eyelids to close as she affected a sigh.
“I know the council in Lazlo keeps on harping on about how even the most fantastical idea must have a kernel of truth in the megaverse, but you DO know that the idea you are espousing is, if true, rather horrifying? A primal stargod trapped in a living metal dragon and buried in a multi-dimensional prison, venerated as the god of all machines? That going a bit far don’t you think? That’s almost as absurd as that Flying Spaghetti Monster those Ghostriders always talk about.” Rebutted Solarii Secundus Pasteur-Lyle.

The argument continued, point & counter point, back & forth for another 20 minutes while Franklyn carefully navigated past several ætheric vortices and more mundane hazards (Mk-7 claymore mine, microwave detection web, grenade on a string, rodent-of-unusual-size…).
“Ladies, with all due respect could you both agree to disagree and stop giving away our position?”

Both Ami & Rachel started at the harshness of their guide’s tone and were about to turn their peek against him when all three suddenly saw a burst of æther flare up in front of them. Mere milliseconds after, the source was visible in normal light. Two of the recently catalogued Shemarrian ‘Berserker’ caste stood in front of the trio; the source of illumination a long 14ft. whip of magic flame. Both of the Shemarr berserkers were identical in features, and in dress (or almost the case; undress); tight blue unitards made of blue-dyed snakeskin. Though twin in features, the whip-wielder was raven-haired while the other (seeming unarmed) had copper red tresses.

The two groups stood still regarding each other warily. Though ‘technically’ Shemarrians themselves, the Wayfinders were transferred intelligence / souls into Shemarrian frames with most of the A.I. programming suppressed. Franklyn knew that if these two unknowns were true Shemarrians, they might be in a heap of trouble. He faked clearing his throat and addressed the faintly smirking Berserkers in ‘universal elven’.
“We mean no transgression. By the will of The Ten and in their names we ask free passage through your territory.”

The twins continued to smirk unblinkingly at Franklyn and his superiors, though the grin of the raven-haired berserker inched wider as 3 sapphire scaled snakes (no not just snakes, COBRAS!) slithered in behind Ami & Rachel and flattened their hoods and hissed. Both Wayfinder females nervously gripped their rail-lances tighter and looked back & forth; giving lie to their ‘warrior’ status. An agonizingly eternal minute later the red-headed twin turned and slapped her sibling on the shoulder lightly and then turned to address the Wayfinders.
In English.

“I height Pythiir, and my sister is Vypaea. We all transgress and trespass here; it is the realm of the human skull-wearers and the hellspawn they thought had originally existed here, now. Vypaea, turn your toy off and call pack your pets; can’t you see you make our new friends nervous?”

Much to the relief of the Wayfinders, the giant blue cobras retracted their hoods and moved to twine themselves at Vypaea’s feet.

Pythiir spoke again for her and her sister.
“Do not hide or speak falsehood to us; we know why you are here. You seek answers to a riddle that the first of us among the free Shemarr do; where does the machine that breeds other machines with soul-sparks come from? Who was the creator? That is what you search for among the shattered stone and crushed bone of this once mighty city.”

Rachel couldn’t help herself as years of public speaking and debating skills were torpedoed by the bluntness of the enigmatic Shemarrian before her. As both Franklyn and Ami transmitted a telepathic message to her and each other she noticed what they hoped to draw her attention to. Both of the twins had that crazy ætheric life-force that had been observed in some of the Shemarrian warrior bots recently: except in this case, Pythiir & Vypaea’s aura showed the living energy was fully integrated, not just a hot spot in the chest area. The two strangers were alive in every sense of the word, not just possessed machines.

“Umm” Rachel replied intelligently.

“YES! Exactly!” Blurted Ami Icehellion;
“It can’t be coincidence that so soon after machine -ahem- I mean non-organic people such as you Shemarrians began to show potential psychic energies that the Progen pods would…ummm…errm. Shutting up now.” The bookish technomancer-in-ammazon-body hung her head and winced as the other two Wayfinders glared at her.

Vypaea tossed her head back and laughed; the sound at once gently mocking and pitying in equal measure. Locking her black irised eyes onto the trio of scholars turned warriors the raven haired Shemarrian finally spoke.
“Ask your gender-fluid guide better questions. HE knows where to begin looking. The answers to your question are not here. Look to the city named for the great seeker of unknowns. All you will find here is death by skull-wearers or wishing for death if the hell-armies find you.”
Flipping her hair back over her shoulders in a midnight cascade, Vypaea nodded at Franklyn, while Pythiir mock-saluted them with an ave.

“Franky…?” began Rachel; her tone suggesting many hours of lecturing when they returned to the Wayfinder chantry.

Not missing a beat, the Shemarrian male-bodied TW-hacker / scout replied with; “Solarii Secondus, I thought it might be prudent to keep to the standard operating procedure Lady Tsyldaen laid out for us; keep everything on the down-low & sly until we’ve established ourselves.” Making a sighing noise he continued, holding up both hands in a warding gesture at the steadily growing annoyance he could feel coming from his superiors.
“IF you insist I go against protocol and S.O.P., fine. We can go and talk to my contacts in Phoenix Force over in Lazlo…maybe even get an audience with Plato? I swear on my great grand-pappy’s grave though; I have no idea what those…two… wherethehelldidtheygo?”

During Franklyn’s explanation / excuses, the twin Shemarrian berserkers had somehow snuck away without any of the trio noticing. All that showed they HAD been there was a stylized picture of a hooded cobra etched into the wall and a short message beside it.

-Deus est-machina, though do not praise the machine god
Praise the creator of all machines, living and not.

[taalismn]

Now for a huge headache.. I'm attempting to make an infobox that is generic for both armour (environmental/non) and power armour... oh the number of possible fields i need to create just to make it. possible fields for wings, thrusters, ammo drum, missile launchers, weapons.. secondary wings (like the samas), weapons.. *rubs head*

This is why I don't have websites...or much success in real world work beyond the basic 'push it and make it go, shake and kick it if it doesn't' stage of technical prowess.

[taalismn]

The Great Work; Pt. 2
The pair of Wayfinder Shemarrian “warriors” followed their formerly female-framed-now-gender-appropriate male scout guide.
Franklyn "F2@k1yn Neuromancer" picked his way through the debris of Tolkeen’s under-city, letting his vision switch between the enhanced optics of his robitic body and the ubiquitous magitech third-eye in his forhead. Though the going was tedious and slow, he decided the debate behind him between his collegues was even more tedious.

“But surely Solarii Secundus. You have to admit it all fits. Yes yes yes I know that I’m basing my theory on a fictional concept, but what reliegon isn’t?” argued Ami Icehellion: once a young human-norm techno-wizzard, now inhabbiting a hevaily modified Shemarrain warrior ‘body’.

Ami’s companion and counter-view debating partner, Rachel Pastuer-Lyle (2nd Solarrii) shook her head slowly, alowing her synthflesh eyelids to close as she affected a sigh.]

Yaaayyyy...Rachel appears again, and Ami Icehellion gets a life outside being mistaken for a Sailor Scout!!!

[taalismn]

okay, here's first draft...

An Overview of the Events of the Shemarrian Civil War, the Reformed Shemarrian Nation, and the Shemarrian Star Nation

Basis: ARCHIE-3 and Hagan’s matryoshka deception with the Shemarrians works TOO well, as the two discover that other forces have bought into the Shemarrian Nation masquerade with unexpected consequences.


Seeds of Divergence
The Shemarrian Civil War has its roots in ARCHIE-3’s establishment of the Shemarrian Nation, the Eight Tribes staking out territory along the Eastern Seaboard as both a buffer against the curious from the west and a barrier against the Splugorth to the east. For several years, ARCHIE-3 and Hagan are able to establish and hide behind the ‘Shemarrian mystique’, using the gynoids to sew disinformation and secure territory where the two plotters can hatch their nefarious plans in peace.
It is during routine patrol operations in the Hawkmoon territories that ARCHIE-3 begins losing contact with his Shemarrian proxies, first individuals, then entire bands dropping out his surveillance network. When ARCHIE-3 sends more Shemarrians out to investigate, they too drop out of communication shortly after encountering the ‘lost’ units. Aerial reconnaissance shows that the out-of-contact Shemarrians are not destroyed as first believed, but are still functional, although behaving erratically.
Fearing that his enemies may have subverted his Shemarrian legions, ARCHIE-3 tries various attempts to capture or destroy the errant units, but more often than not, the malfunctioning androids and gynoids seem to assimilate the assets sent to deal with them. ARCHIE-3 rightly begins to suspect some sort of corruptive computer virus is spreading through the Shemarrians, cutting them out of communication with, and control by, him.
Indeed, a chance encounter in the wilderness has infected the Shemarrian roboids with a symbiotic alien psionic-energy life-form that merges with artificial intelligence and causes the development of a true sentience. This symbiotic sentience, the Ecotroz, takes its cue for its new identity from the artificial history ARCHIE-3 has programmed his Shemarrian toy soldiers to promote. Only, apparently dissatisfied with being puppets, the symbiote-enhanced advanced AIs have decided that they are REAL, and that ARCHIE-3 is a boogieman who has enslaved them.
In a case of myth becoming reality, the self-declared ‘EShemarrians’(or ‘EShemar’) have been building their own culture and society.
By the time ARCHIE-3 realizes that he is not dealing with system malfunctions or Republican hackers, it is already too late; the corruption has spread beyond a handful of Hawkmoons and into the other Tribes as well. ARCHIE-3 becomes aware that alarming numbers of the Silvermoon, Darkwater, and Horrorwoods tribes have also dropped out of contact with him.
The Shemarrian Civil War has begun.


The Course of War
The Shemarrian Civil War will last several years and throw the Eastern Seaboard into turmoil. Although largely fought away from the eyes of outsiders, it becomes evident that SOMETHING is going on in the mysterious Shemarrian Nation.
The early stages of the War consist mainly of pursuits and ambushes, as the dissident EShemar elude their pursuers and lead them into traps. More often than not, efforts to contain and destroy the EShemar simply result in the pursuers being ambushed and converted to the EShemar cause, swelling the numbers of the rebels. The rebels also use the opportunity to seize supplies and equipment from the Loyalists.
Early on, the rebel EShemar are hampered by a lack of logistics; unable to draw directly from ARCHIE-3’s secret factories, the EShemar are forced to raid supply caches, convert enemy soldiers, and increasingly use battlefield salvage and trade with outsiders to build up their supplies. In order to increase their numbers, the inventive EShemar start adding outsiders, augmented with bionics, as ‘NeShemar’ auxiliary troops and support personnel. These auxiliaries serve to bolster the rebel ranks while the EShemar painstakingly Awaken other Shemarrians, and research ways of building their own new Shemarrians.
The midpoint of the War sees the rebels spreading farther and wider, and working to create their own support infrastructure, showing an unusual genius in acquiring the means to build their own technology. A major turning point comes when Hawkmoon Tinkers(the former ‘Spinster’-model gynoids) develop(or adapt) advanced technology that evolves into the Trinity Modules; Progen Chambers, Assembly Forges, and Cybofabs, that allow the EShemar to increase their numbers without relying on what they can convert from the loyalists. The Hawkmoons also make peaceful contact with a technologically advanced d-bee species with Shemarrian-like characteristics, the Shae-ma-nen-rahn(or Shaemarians) whose existence further convinces the EShemar that they are, in fact, an enslaved offshoot of a greater culture. With the EShemar finally able to match ARCHIE-3’s production of new war material, the war turns from stalemate to favor the rebels. However, ARCHIE-3 learns that to close with the malfunctioning units is to risk having them turned to the enemy and added to their strength(especially several contingents of units designed specifically to counter the supposed computer viruses corrupting the rebels, or to assassinate their leadership); increasingly the loyalist units are ordered to keep their distance and destroy the enemy at long range. The rebels counter with greater stealth and the incorporation of even longer-ranged artillery into their arsenal; with their own independent sources and lines of supply, they can afford to start using missile weaponry.
As if by some cascade failure, the breakaway of the EShemar also seems to spawn other breakouts from ARCHIE-3’s control; other dissident splinter factions begin arising. Corrupt computer codes, possibly from archival pre-Rifts programs, spawn growing perturbations in the behavior of the Wolf’s Path and the Ghost Rider Tribes, making them increasingly unreliable in persecuting the war against the EShemar. Encounters with phenomena in the American South and the ruins of Tolkeen lead several Shemarrian scouting parties to break off communication with ARCHIE-3 and found their own NEW tribes, the Sapphire Cobras and the Wayfinders. As the war seesaws across territory and installations of Cyberworks, various experiments, both robotic and biological, are set loose; some of whom will form the nucleus of the Lost Eclipse Tribe, or become wandering free agents, like Aiva.
The War intensifies, leading to multiple reversals for the loyalists. The Blood Riders, formerly one of ARCHIE-3’s more aggressive formations against the rebels, are infiltrated by the Ecotroz, and a vicious civil-war-within-a-civil-war breaks out amongst the Blood Rider clanswomen, effectively neutralizing them as participants in any strategy against the EShemar. The Darkwaters resolve their own issues, going over to the EShemar, and eliminating their own Loyalists. The Wolf’s Path finally schisms decisively, as Awakened packs isolate and either convert or eliminate Loyalist elements in the Tribe.
Only the Skullcrushers seem to still have any cohesion as a Loyalist Tribe fighting in ARCHIE-3 interests, but even that proves false with the discovery of a growing corruption at their core.

BlackSteel Crisis
In his efforts to fight the rising tide of resistance to him, ARCHIE-3, inspired by his partner Hagan, rushes larger numbers of unattached Shemarrian warriors to fight the rebels. Only the Skullcrushers seem immune as a tribe-unit to the corruption afflicting the Shemarrian Nation.
Unfortunately, in the course of scrambling for resources to bolster his armies, one of ARCHIE-3’s factories assimilates another alien corruption; a material that comes to be known as BlackSteel. Integrated into the robotic Shemarrians, BlackSteel endows the robot AIs with near-sentience of a demonic kind, making the units immune to Ecotroz assimilation, and more aggressive and bloodthirsty, more prone to sadistic violence. The majority of Blacksteel-infected units manufactured by the factory go to the SkullCrusher Tribe, which becomes the most effective of the Loyalist Tribes fighting the EShemar.
Seeing the performance of the Skullcrushers, if not its cause, ARCHIE-3 pushes more resources into the Tribe, believing that he has found a solution at last. Unfortunately, his control over the BlackSteel-afflicted Skullcrushers is tenuous at best, and it becomes evident that the BlackSteel Skullcrushers are as resistant to ARCHIE-3’s direct control as the EShemar. The Shemarrian Civil War takes on an ugly new turn as the
BlackSteel Skullcrushers seem intent to pursue their own war of extermination against the EShemar. Arguably the BlackSteel threatens to become an even greater threat than ARCHIE-3 to both the EShemar and the entire Eastern Seaboard, especially when it becomes apparent that the infected factory is making changes to itself, unauthorized by either ARCHIE-3 or Hagan.
The BlackSteel menace is not ended until the afflicted factory is destroyed, at no small cost, by a combined Tribal force of EShemar.

Aftermath
The Shemarrian Civil War begins to wind down as the increasingly numerous and technologically sophisticated EShemar gain the upper hand over ARCHIE-3 and Hagan’s efforts. Those Tribes riven with internal dissent resolve their problems, both the Bloodriders and Ghost Riders come out of their sequestration to join the fight, and the new Tribes of the Sapphire Cobras, Wayfinders, and Lost Eclipse emerge from the wilderness to add their strength to the rebel cause. Increasingly, as the war grinds closer and closer to his core facilities, ARCHIE-3 deploys larger numbers of overtly robotic troops and experimental systems as his ‘homeguard’, in order to keep the EShemar away from him, and buy him and Hagan time to come up with better solutions.
Having breached so many ‘final’ bunkers and dealt with many apparent forlorn hopes launched by ARCHIE-3 and Hagan, the EShemar seem to run out of fresh opponents, and many take this as a sign that the Dark One and the Shaper have been destroyed finally, likely as collateral damage in one of the final big bunker-busts. Others are not so certain, and continue to hunt rumors of the Dark One and the Shaper(ARCHIE-3 and Hagan) escaping and trying to reestablish their dark domain someplace else. In any event, active organized resistance from loyalist units peters out and the organizational network collapses, leaving the EShemar in undisputed control of the former Cyberworks territories.
Even before the dust settles, the newly liberated Tribes turn their efforts towards picking up the pieces and rebuilding the Shemarrian Nation, well aware that many external threats have taken advantage of the turmoil of the SCW to encroach on their territory. The bulwark against the Splugorth must be re-secured, as well as protection against the military empires of the west(such as the Coalition States) must be reestablished. The matter of the division of spoils, mediation of old grudges between former enemies, and the place of the new Tribes in the new order of things must also be resolved. This becomes the Reunification and the Reconciliation, setting the stage for the Reformed Shemarrian Nation. Among the matters of controversy that are worked out are competition for the top leadership of the reformed Nation(especially between the Hawkmoons and the Wolf’s Path), and the reintegration of the surviving(and untainted) Skullcrushers(amidst some calls from other Tribesmembers to expel or exterminate them).
Titan Robotics becomes collateral damage in the Shemarrian Civil War; entire offices disappearing, raided by the Shemarrians or simply drying up and going out of business due to lack of new stock being delivered. Some of the facilities do open again, however, thanks to the efforts of local employees adapting to the new circumstances, or under the covert management of the EShemar(especially the Ghost Riders), though Titan Robotics seems destined to splinter into ghosts of its former self.
The Reformed Shemarrian Nation is arguably more open to outsiders, cultivating friendlier relations with their neighbors, but still guarded and mysterious. Citing the continuing dangers posed by the Splugorth and the need for regional security, the Shemarrian Nation continues to rebuff, and forcibly repel, any unwelcome interference and inquiry by outsiders such as the Coalition States and the Republicans. In many ways, the EShemar leadership proves equally as cunning as ARCHIE and Hagan in establishing their own matryoshka campaign to hide their true nature and the real causes of the Shemarrian Civil War, even as their newly free peoples struggle to establish their own new identities.


Formation of the Shemarrian Star Nation
At some point during the Shemarrian Civil War, a band of Hawkmoons happen across the remains of a Kittani starship crash-landed in North America. Banding together with EShemar Darkwaters and other Tribe members, the Hawkmoons refurbish the vessel with an eye towards using it to venture forth to find new resources for the rebels, or as a ‘lifeboat’ to carry some part of their new society beyond Rifts Earth.
Due to either a malfunction of the rebuilt starship’s interdimensional drive, or the vagaries of the rifts, the expedition actually travels back in TIME, in addition to space, ending up several hundred years in the past, in the Three Galaxies. Several followup expeditions by other Tribes, including a contingent of Awakened Skullcrushers seeking to escape dismal prospects on Earth and the infamy attached to their Tribe, also encounter the phenomenon, though none know it at the time. The transplanted EShemar set about establishing enclaves in the Three Galaxies, growing together and expanding into a Shemarrian Star Nation centered around the Thundercloud Galaxy, but with enclaves and branches in the other two.
Ironically, by the time the expeditions’ descendants are able to reestablish contact with Rifts Earth and their mother-Tribes, only a few months have passed on Earth!
The existence of a greater Shemarrian Nation offworld leads to an increasing flow of trade and communication between the Shemarrian Star Nation and their spiritual ‘homeworld’ and founder-Tribes on Rifts Earth.

The Logic Tree Branches
As the Shemarrian Nation grows out and more advanced, reaching into space and other dimensions. its cultural roots grow deeper. The EShemar begin to encounter other societies, human and d-bee, with Shemarrian-like characteristics(such as the Shaemarians), adding to their lore and diversity. Splinters of the original Shemarrians and the rebel EShemar, isolated by space/time, take root in their own domains, arising as their own Tribes. Previously unknown Tribes, such as the Shadowblades, emerge with hints of histories stretching back even before the first Ecotroz Awakening on Rifts Earth, adding a retrospective aspect to the emerging Shemarrian history.
With regards to this explosion of Shemarrian numbers and variety, a Wayfinder scholar, noting that HUMANS are largely regarded as Megaversal vermin, yet with some of the greatest mutability and potential of any one species, states that the Shemarrians are, after all, “The Children of Mankind”, and therefore have inherited some portion of that potential.

[DhAkael]

okay, here's first draft...

An Overview of the Events of the Shemarrian Civil War, the Reformed Shemarrian Nation, and the Shemarrian Star Nation

*Standing Ovation* "Bravo! Fortisimo!"
-ahem-
Just one slight minor niggling nit-pick; the Shae-ma-nen-rahn (or for short, Shaemarians ) were already established on Terra prior to the civil-war: Circa P.A. 97 just before the

Spoiler:

C'thulhian Cult uprising of P.A. 98

.
ASIDE from that, *nod* VERY good encapsulation of the time-line & events.

[kronos]

@ DhAkael : Nice. Now.. is that an extension to the little blurb you put up a page before with the translation on a piece of metal? Or just more wayfinder expanded material? I'm looking forward to seeing more of this God of Machines, trapped in a living metal dragon body.

@ taalismn : ooh! NICE!
Some expansion I'd like to see is the BlackSteel Crisis, but this is a good start! I would love to have a nice page dedicated to the BlackSteel with where it came from.. any stat changes to the Shemarrians, or other robots it's incorporated. Anything in general about the demonic entity that inhabits the factory (and what it might be doing during the time it changes the factory). This could lead to a possibility of robotic based demons that went into hiding before the factory's destruction.. returned to hades or dyval (probably hades as demonic?) and creates a new breed of lesser demon?

Plus we need a little more on what Archie 3 and Hagan are doing post SCW... I know I've mentioned I wanted to work on some stuff for that, but I've been busy with the wikia, slowly putting together the 'sidekick' unit, plus coming up with ideas for a heavy Skullcrusher warmount (not the typical heavy assault), and an elite. Mostly the wika is taking up my time.

[kronos]

I now have made an armour template that can be used also for any power armour! *laughs maniacally as lighting flashes in the background*
I think the tinkers of Clan Shelley would be proud of that laugh...
View two examples
http://eshemarrian.wikia.com/wiki/Heavy ... Armour_mk2 and http://eshemarrian.wikia.com/wiki/Heavy_Assault_Armour

The first one has two weapon stat blocks with it as I haven't created pages for those yet. Once I do, I'm debating on leaving the weapon blocks as is, or just make them a link to the page for the weapon. What do you guys think?

Also.. I need updated info for the Shemarrians in Space page.. need info like other tribes in that section, like symbol, signature tech for the Lost Eclipse as they are an official tribe, and Shadowblades are now a 'separate' tribe/entity.

[DhAkael]

@ DhAkael : Nice. Now.. is that an extension to the little blurb you put up a page before with the translation on a piece of metal? Or just more wayfinder expanded material? I'm looking forward to seeing more of this God of Machines, trapped in a living metal dragon body.

LOL the "Dragon" is a borrowed concept from another I/P. It is NOT the god of machines in this particular instance; but seeing as how Wayfinders find obscure information (in this case purely fictional...or is it? ) it's a nice segue into the scene. YES it is an extension from the earlier blurb... there will be more all under the heading The Great Work.

Some expansion I'd like to see is the BlackSteel Crisis, but this is a good start! I would love to have a nice page dedicated to the BlackSteel with where it came from.. any stat changes to the Shemarrians, or other robots it's incorporated. Anything in general about the demonic entity that inhabits the factory (and what it might be doing during the time it changes the factory). This could lead to a possibility of robotic based demons that went into hiding before the factory's destruction.. returned to hades or dyval (probably hades as demonic?) and creates a new breed of lesser demon?

-ahem- That would actualy be ME you'd be asking. The elemental evil that permeates the black steel is not allied with either of the hell-planes. It is actually the province of 'The Void' (see Between the Shadows in the Nightbane line for what little information is available) and a very ancient and powerful force that dwells there. Think Chronus scale powerful.
As for what Blacksteel does to the things its forged into; in one case a Wargoddess became a direct conduit for the elemental evil to manifest. It also causes PAIN to any living being who touches the raw metal even lightly (it can in fact send someone into a coma/death situation), unless they are devoid of soul. Also as has been implied, it can "change" machines and objects it has been made part of...slowly....insidiously.

The only counter is silver or powerful holy magic. Silver, when it comes in direct contact with Blacksteel, causes an energetic exothermic reaction (re; BOOM!) destroying both substances. Holy magic can cause any Blacksteel alloys to expell the tainted metal and cause it to evaporate (where it will re-solidify in pure form sometime somewhere downwind).

[kronos]

@ DhAkael : Nice. Now.. is that an extension to the little blurb you put up a page before with the translation on a piece of metal? Or just more wayfinder expanded material? I'm looking forward to seeing more of this God of Machines, trapped in a living metal dragon body.

LOL the "Dragon" is a borrowed concept from another I/P. It is NOT the god of machines in this particular instance; but seeing as how Wayfinders find obscure information (in this case purely fictional...or is it? ) it's a nice segue into the scene. YES it is an extension from the earlier blurb... there will be more all under the heading The Great Work.

Some expansion I'd like to see is the BlackSteel Crisis, but this is a good start! I would love to have a nice page dedicated to the BlackSteel with where it came from.. any stat changes to the Shemarrians, or other robots it's incorporated. Anything in general about the demonic entity that inhabits the factory (and what it might be doing during the time it changes the factory). This could lead to a possibility of robotic based demons that went into hiding before the factory's destruction.. returned to hades or dyval (probably hades as demonic?) and creates a new breed of lesser demon?

-ahem- That would actualy be ME you'd be asking. The elemental evil that permeates the black steel is not allied with either of the hell-planes. It is actually the province of 'The Void' (see Between the Shadows in the Nightbane line for what little information is available) and a very ancient and powerful force that dwells there. Think Chronus scale powerful.
As for what Blacksteel does to the things its forged into; in one case a Wargoddess became a direct conduit for the elemental evil to manifest. It also causes PAIN to any living being who touches the raw metal even lightly (it can in fact send someone into a coma/death situation), unless they are devoid of soul. Also as has been implied, it can "change" machines and objects it has been made part of...slowly....insidiously.

The only counter is silver or powerful holy magic. Silver, when it comes in direct contact with Blacksteel, causes an energetic exothermic reaction (re; BOOM!) destroying both substances. Holy magic can cause any Blacksteel alloys to expell the tainted metal and cause it to evaporate (where it will re-solidify in pure form sometime somewhere downwind).

My bad on the Blacksteel part. Explosive reaction to silver? That makes fighting it in melee particularly hazardous for both parties. Best to shoot with silver rounds from afar. Definitely need stats on all this stuff!

Ah.. The Great Work. Was there a part earlier in the thread about The Great Work, or this the first main parts for it so far?

[taalismn]

Updated Lexicon:

Acolites---EShemar name given to the former Pariah caste.

Anhaz---The freebeing component of an anhaz-uzari bondsman contract. The anhaz is an EShemar, and occasionally a NeShemar, responsible for overseeing the conduct and indoctrination of the uzari prisoner/probationer.

Assembly Forges---Advanced automated mini-factories utilizing nanotechnology to produce just about everything for the Shemarrian Nation, including Warmounts.

Avyet---Shemarrian bird of prey

Awakening---Infecting an AI with the Ecotroz. Described as being akin to a spiritual epiphany.

Becoming---To be ReMade; the process of turning an organic base stock NeShemar into a bionic NeShemar.

Blacksteel---A cursed, supernatural metal that when incorporated into machinery, and particularly robots, infects them with a malign intelligence, similar to, but not related to, the Ecotroz. The Skullcrushers were formerly much influenced by Blacksteel accidentally incorporated into them by ARCHIE-3’s repair facilities into going after the EShemar rebels with particulary acute hatred and brutality. The Blacksteel menace became a major factor in the violence of the Shemarrian Civil War.

Broken, the---An Awakened Shemarrian or Shemarrian construct that has been 'soul-killed'(the Ecotroz essence banished or destroyed), leaving the body running on fall-back robotic programming. First appeared in some rare instances during the Blacksteel Crisis, but became a more common side effect of magic/psionic combat during the Minion War when facing the Infernals.

Cybofab----Automated bionic surgeon module, used to produce full-conversion NeShemar from organics.

Dark One, the---EShemar name for ARCHIE-3.

Eccentric---A Shemarrian who wanders from Tribe to Tribe on ‘walkabout’, assimilating aspects of each Tribe in turn. Eccentrics are often acknowledged as being exceptionally skilled or talented, in order to be accepted by other Tribes. Also see Unattached.

Ecotroz---A psionic energy lifeform or viral meme that can infect artificial intelligence systems, increasing their cognitive abilities, lending them emotional sapience, and giving them psionic abilities.

Electrocology---Extensive networks of disguised robotic ‘enimals’ and ‘e-plants’ hidden in a region’s existing ecology to serve as camouflaged communications and industrial infrastructure for an EShemar presence. Can also mean the networked AI industrial infrastructure on lifeless planetoids. More common in the Shemarrian Star Nation than on Rifts Earth.

Eleven, the---The eleven founding formal Tribes of the Reformed(post-SCW) Shemarrian Nation, consisting of the original ARCHIE-3/Hagan Lonovich-manufactured Hawkmoons, Wolf’s Path, Dark Waters, Silvermoons, Ghost Riders, Skullcrushers, Blood Riders, and Horrorwoods, plus the ‘new’ Wayfinders, Sapphire Cobras, and Lost Eclipse. The symbol of the Eleven is the five pointed star, ten of the Tribes represented as points or junctures of the pentacle lines, and the Lost Eclipse claiming ‘the spaces between’.

Elite---Specialized or ‘amped up’ cyber-chassis’ed Shemarrian general caste-class lying roughly equal to Warchiefs, but not necessarily subservient to them. Often an extreme promotion-Upgrade for lower-echelon caste-classes who have performed exceptionally well. Some specific ‘Elite’ types come to rival and even surpass War Goddesses in terms of capability and firepower.

Enimal---Also ‘E-Animal’. Drone-level AI robots patterned after animals and fulfilling the same roll as pets, beasts of burden, resource harvesters, and active camouflage for EShemar society and operations. Can include ‘e-plants’, sessile robot drones(the descendents of the cyborg ‘Wrydling Trees’) that act as mineral, water, and power harvesters, communications antennae, and service stations in networked ‘electro-cologies’.

EShemar---Specifically Shemarrians Awakened with the Ecotroz, but has come to mean rebel/non-ARCHIE-3 Shemarrians in general.

Fringe Tribes---Shemarrian offshoots and NeShemar applicant organizations not yet recognized as full Tribes.

Ghost Locker---Rumored pre-Rifts forensic/copyright repository of viral programs, advanced operating system code, and artificial intelligence software. Claimed to have spawned the Ghost Riders, who are now its possessors/guardians.

Gifts of Upgrade---Upgrade implants and modifications granted to individual Tribe members as reward for bravery and great achievement.

Great Enemy, the---Splugorth, the traditional enemies of the Shemarrians.

High Council---Shemarrian Star Nation legislative body made up of representatives of the Eleven recognized Tribes, and coordinating actions between the various members.

Kantaran---Shemarrian Wolf

Low Council---Shemarrian Star Nation representative body meant to allow recognized Fringe tribes(not yet formally recognized as a Tribe) a say in the SSN’s affairs. Invitation to sit on the Low Council is often seen as a first step towards formal recognition as a Shemarrian Tribe(and seating on the High Council).

Loyalists---Shemarrians still loyal to ARCHIE-3.

Maker, the------EShemar name for ARCHIE-3. Typically used in a derogatory sense, as in ‘Maker of Lies’, ‘Maker of Falsehoods’, ‘Maker of Chains’.

Myrmidons---Robot drones too limited in cognitive ability, even with Awakening, to be considered fully sentient and sapient.

NeShemar---Non-Shemarrian Tribal members, typically human(oid)s taken into the Tribe and modified via cybernetic and bionic implants. Later came to include non-bionic-converted
Tribal members.

Orseme---Original Sentient Mechanisms. Homebuilt sentient robots with Tribal membership, often Awakened with the Ecotroz.

Progen---Alien technology allowing robotic/bionic organisms to sexually produce offspring.

Reanims---Bionically reconstructed or robotically-augmented constructions based on organic corpses, rarely given anything beyond a drone AI. Shunned by most Tribes, but more commonly used by the Lost Eclipse and similar Fringe Tribes as terror weapons.

Reconciliation, the----Post SCW reunification of the Shemarrian Tribes and the negotiated foregiveness of the formerly Loyalist Tribes such as the Wolf’s Path, Blood Riders, and esepcially the SkullCrushers, who, under orders of ARCHIE-3 or the corruption of Blacksteel, formerly persecuted the rebel EShemar.

ReMade, Remaking---The process of converting base stock organics into bionic NeShemar. Often refers to the more extreme forms involving mindwipe and mental re-programming. Also Becoming.

ReUnification, the----Post-SCW reformation of the Shemarrian Tribes, and the second declaration of the Shemarrian Nation.

Rites of Upgrade---Communal or individual installation of upgraded hardware and modifications.

Scava---Dragonese/Shemarrian term for the traditional Shemarrian Rail Gun. Also variously known as scava-shadon, scava-zakar, or shaz-scava.

SCW---Shemarrian Civil War. The war between the Ecotroz-influenced EShemar and the Loyalists of ARCHIE-3. It also came to cause the non-Ecotroz, but still rebellious, Ghost Riders breaking away. It would also provide the opportunity for the spawning of the Wayfinders, Sapphire Cobras, and Lost Eclipse Tribes.

Shaemarians/ Shae-ma-nen-rahn---An advanced sapient species of spacefaring humanoids hailing from an alternate universe, with many physical similarities to the Shemarrians. Rumored to be a possible inspiration for the Shemarrians. Allies of the Shemarrian Star Nation.

Shaper, the---EShemar name for Hagan Lonovich. Typically used in a derogatory sense; ‘manipulator’, ‘schemer’, ‘con-man’.

Shemar---Shemarrians

SSN---Shemarrian Star Nation. The larger more extensive branch of the Shemarrian Nation, based in the Three Galaxies, but expanding into other universes as well.

Ten, the---The legendary original Ten Champions of the false Shemarrian myth, interpreted by the Ecotroz to mean ten Tribes, two of which were lost. The symbol of the Ten is the five-pointed pentacle. The myth of the Ten was thrown into contention by the emergence of the ‘heretical’ Eleventh Tribe, the Lost Eclipse, and by the Shaemarians and the existence of Fringe Tribes.

Tinker---EShemar name given to the former Spinster caste.

Trinity Modules--The three fundamental machines of the EShemar society; Progen Chambers, Assembly Forges, and Cybofabs.

Unattached----Shemarrians who refuse to be aligned with any Tribe, resigning their allegiance to a particular Tribe to ‘go it alone’.

Uploading---Wayfinder term for becoming a Transferred Intelligence from an organic body to a robotic (Shemarrian pattern) body.

Uzari---The probationed bondsman half of an anhaz-uzari bond contract. Typically a non-Shemar taken in honorable combat or seized for ‘protective custody’ as a prisoner of the Tribes, but with more leeway, freedom, and personal rights tied to their good conduct. Uzari typically serve out a period of probation and service to the Tribes, through the anhaz’s direction, before being repatriated or adopted into the Tribes as a proper NeShemar.

[taalismn]

okay, here's first draft...

An Overview of the Events of the Shemarrian Civil War, the Reformed Shemarrian Nation, and the Shemarrian Star Nation

*Standing Ovation* "Bravo! Fortisimo!"
-ahem-
Just one slight minor niggling nit-pick; the Shae-ma-nen-rahn (or for short, Shaemarians ) were already established on Terra prior to the civil-war: Circa P.A. 97 just before the

Spoiler:

C'thulhian Cult uprising of P.A. 98

.
ASIDE from that, *nod* VERY good encapsulation of the time-line & events.

Gptcha. Made the necessary correction and mention.

[kronos]

Updated Lexicon:

Updated.

Also made a few items pages from signature items from the Shemarrians in space page (Laser Lance, Third Eye)

[DhAkael]

Updated Lexicon:

Updated.

Also made a few items pages from signature items from the Shemarrians in space page (Laser Lance, Third Eye)

Oh; I'll dig up the 'True Shaemarian' info for you later this eve (and codify it into a nice zip folder)...I'll give you a PM with the stuff.

@ Tal; as I said, it was a very small nit pick, but an important one for context.

[taalismn]

[

@ Tal; as I said, it was a very small nit pick, but an important one for context.

No worries...I think the changes sing a bit better, especially in explaining the EShemar getting a BIG boost in their technological capabilities.

[kronos]

Updated Lexicon:

Updated.

Also made a few items pages from signature items from the Shemarrians in space page (Laser Lance, Third Eye)

Oh; I'll dig up the 'True Shaemarian' info for you later this eve (and codify it into a nice zip folder)...I'll give you a PM with the stuff.

@ Tal; as I said, it was a very small nit pick, but an important one for context.

Kewl, sounds good. I'm slowly expanding on the wikia. Just takes time. Also.. how does the heavy assault armour mk2 look with the way I have the option weapons. As any warmounts/elites might have a similar lay out (I will try and put more spacing in between each entry). Or would it be better to have a description and a link to a separate page that is just the weapon itself for a much more 'cleaner' look?
I haven't figured out how to make the info boxes go to the left side without it messing things up yet (I will keep trying though if that would make it better?)

[kronos]

In keeping with taalismn's semi-self imposed at least 1 stated item per page.. here's a little more innovation from the Minion War.. only non-combat (technically).

Deployable Protective Circle
As the Minion War waged on, the Shemarrians started to find it difficult to keep areas safe for evacuating non-combatants or the wounded. One of the ways was to set up large areas with Protection Circle spells, but this was time consuming, and spell casters were not always available. The Wayfinders began work on making a techno-wizard device that could make an area protected by Protection Circle: Simple spell. They enlisted the help of the Skullcrushers for a deployment means.
The device is housed in a short ranged missile and deployed from dropships or even warmounts. Once a target location is selected and the missile launched, the missile will deploy stabilizers to land properly, striking nose first into the ground. The casing breaks off and several robotic arms extend out to 50 feet. These robotic arms contain a hose and nozzle, which release a line of silver to create the circle and symbols. The use of silver over paints was selected as any demon that is powerful enough to cross the circle, and is vulnerable to silver can take damage if they attempt to break it, or step on it. It also makes the circle harder to break. Once the circle and symbols is complete, the onboard P.P.E. battery and T.W. systems casts the spell Circle Protection: Simple. This is all done within 15 seconds of the missile landing.
The Wayfinders have used Skullcrusher missile boats loaded with these weapons to set up large areas surrounded by multiple circles for locations of evacuation or landing sites or for field hospitals. The Skullcrushers have also made use of these devices, but have modified the deployed device to house a weapon that will defend it for short periods, launching the device into enemy formations or to choke point locations. Ground forces then uses these previously deployed circles as rally points, or in the case of those located in choke points to limit enemy movements and box them in even more.
There is enough silver in the housing to make the circle and symbols once plus enough to make small repairs to the circle (about 2 gallons of liquid silver in a simple handheld device that is mounted on the side), and enough P.P.E. to cast the spell and one reactivation (total of 50 P.P.E.).
M.D.C.: 30
P.P.E.: 50
Range: 4 miles
Skullcrusher Variant: The Skullcrusher version will usually mount a plasma or laser weapon with its own tracking and targeting systems with a small power generator to power it all. The weapon is usually a rifle or heavy rifle designed to be quickly released by authorized users, meaning Shemarrians and NeShemars. Unauthorized attempts to access the weapon or the device in general will trigger a self destruct system that will completely consume the Deployable Protective system and damage all within 50 feet, dealing 1d6x10 damage from the plasma charge.

[taalismn]

In keeping with taalismn's semi-self imposed at least 1 stated item per page.. here's a little more innovation from the Minion War.. only non-combat (technically).

Deployable Protective Circle.

Ewww....Robo-ritual! Shiny!

[kronos]

In keeping with taalismn's semi-self imposed at least 1 stated item per page.. here's a little more innovation from the Minion War.. only non-combat (technically).

Deployable Protective Circle.

Ewww....Robo-ritual! Shiny!

War and necessity breeds innovation.

[DhAkael]

This material is posted in earlier entries, but for sake of convienance...

Spoiler:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sb22878j6tqd3ji/AAAcL8Xwu-aUk4xDpGc2ccINa?dl=0

Oh, and something new.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/udt7k0be0dojnub/Icon%20of%20Shaemaria.png?dl=0
Shaemaria The Lightbringer or at least her icon / holy symbol

[taalismn]

Tentative icon for the Lost Eclipse: http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/lost%20eclipse1_zpsg6xx6rf4.jpg

[taalismn]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/udt7k0be0dojnub/Icon%20of%20Shaemaria.png?dl=0
Shaemaria The Lightbringer or at least her icon / holy symbol

...beautiful.....

[DhAkael]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/udt7k0be0dojnub/Icon%20of%20Shaemaria.png?dl=0
Shaemaria The Lightbringer or at least her icon / holy symbol

...beautiful.....

HeroMachine(tm) draw-by-numbers character creation resource; if one has the patience and nack, you can create some REALLY good stuff. Sadly, to get trully stunning results you'll need to take it into The Gimp or PShoop.

...

Which I will later this week

P.S.; liking the Lost Eclipse... I'll get to work on the SSN / 2nd Shemarrian Nation 'Seal' later this week as well.

[taalismn]

I'm working on, after a lot of other projects, some retro work, doing past Warmounts and Elites( "Remember, little man, Domimatrixes like chains and leather, hohohoho!!!" ), and some sort of coversheet for the netbook. Maybe some humor as well(The lord of Finton interacting with Shemarrians ).
So much to do, but first I have to do a library logo that can be cut in STEEL, which is an entire new medium for me to design for...

[taalismn]

Updated Lexicon:

Updated.

Also made a few items pages from signature items from the Shemarrians in space page (Laser Lance, Third Eye)

I'll be doing a little tweaking and parsing as I can(I'm pretty sure I did some corrective work with regards to weights, and the Spelling Nazi in me is already doing corrections in spelling and grammar).