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Maharg67

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EverEpic One 12.2(26)

He went on speaking. “Animals did not seem to be possessed but they sometimes came out acting most bizarre with terror. A fair few died soon after from stress. Plants were seemingly not effected except after the Waygateway trips they grew less were and were less productive. The Waygateways were being invaded by demonic entities from at least one demonic realm. The TriImperium was able to seal off the Waygateways but, out of caution, forbade all lifeforms to go through them in future.”

The 'dwarf' was Peter Daviding who was an investigative researcher, or field researcher, with the TriImperial Paranormal Metaphysical Institution. He had specialised in transdimensional studies, including the Waygateways, for a fair few decades. He continued speaking. “Freshly dead lifeforms, of more complicated kinds, became banned from travel through the Waygateways because they began to 'reanimate', to turn into zombies, after they came through the Waygates. This happened only with 'advanced lifeforms' and only in a minority of cases but the TriImperium wisely played it safe again. More sealing of the Waygateways was done but this has made the use of the Waygateways less efficient and thus less useful to the TripleEmpire.”

Scully spoke out then. “How could there be a connection between what happened with the Waygateways and what is happening here in the Hopelands?”

“That is what we have to find out.” James Jamestone spoke as if deep in thought. “Now we need to know what has been happening in the United Independent Citystates that had you SIRIO agents coming here so quickly.”

It was Walter Bishop who answered. “Some fools, known as the MassDynamics Corporation, tried to create a teleportation network-system. They assumed that they understood the Waygates well enough to make an efficient, secure and safe one. This was despite that the TriImperium itself has been honest enough to say it does not though it has done a great deal of research into the matter.”

He continued. “That was about three decades ago. The fools opened up a gateway between two gates; they sent a team through that vanished for hours; when it came out it was only half a team and the survivors, if you can call them that, were all demoniacally absorbed. They were followed by hordes of demonic monsters of many kinds. Thus was the beautiful Citystate Eurolin destroyed both by the invasion and the brutal counter attack made by the UIC Defence Force. They are trying to recreate it but it will take centuries to make it a grand centre of culture again.”

“We know what happened.” James Jamestone responded dryly. “The TripleEmpire provided the UIC with many resources to assist in the counter attack including elite mercenaries disguised as UIC Special Forces.”

The SIRIO agents were evidently surprised at this news. It had become increasingly evident, over recent years, that the United Independent Citystates Federal Government, the UICFG, had been keeping many secrets from them. This included information that would have greatly assisted the work being done by the SIRIO, an organisation created by the UICFG in the first place. Had the Special Investigation Research Intervention Organisation been formed to be successful or for some other purpose such as satisfying the Parliament that something was being done while the SIRIO's efforts were actually being sabotaged?

Edited by Maharg67
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EverEpic One 12.3(27)

Peter Bishop spoke out in a cautious fashion. “We need to be very cautious. It is as if secret factions, in both the UIC and the TripleEmpire, are going to oppose our success.”

James Jamestone nodded but as if more to his own thoughts than to anybody else. “There has been a secret faction war waging inside the empire, and citystates, for at least two centuries. It began when the UCI rose into existence after the Citystates Unification War. One side supports us and the other side opposes us. For now that is all I can say on the matter. I suggest we get some sleep. Tomorrow we can go to our new base of operations.”

At that moment a woman hurried in and passed a message note to James. He took one look at it and frowned very hard before explaining to the others. “Dame Sherrie Mowalken and Master Valin Mowalken have been murdered in a most cruel manner; it seems that they have been torn apart by one or more demonic monsters. Their bodies were found out in the wilderness where the pair had created a crude demonic summoning star-circle. It appeared something answered their summoning and that the meeting did not go well for the two mortals.”

It was evident some of them were not going to get to sleep yet.

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EverEpic One 13.1(28)

Rhonda Rhodes returned to see Samson but brought with her both Rachel and Rosie Rhodes. They came in tight sexy black leotard type suits, knee length black boots and other such gear including long Samurai type swords. Samson kissed each of them, caressed them and then they got down to practical business.

He took them to his Fatedomain and showed the three femmes around before opening the place up to them through the 'Other'.

Rosie, the sweetest one, smiled. “We will make this our base of operations and at least one of us will be here at any time. That way we will continue on working here as well as having one always available to serve your needs, Samson.”

He staid 1.5 hours x three = 4.5 hours.

While this happened he could be seen in sitting meditation in a small semi-enclosed garden, the very one had had first me Rhonda Rhodes in. It had a fairly large Buddha statue in it, a big fat sitting figure with a big peaceful smile.

They exercised, trained together, practising martial arts and with various weapons. He was very good but was getting better with surprising speed.

They swam in the pool and made love there. He had a sleep with Rosie at his side, which he found comforting.

The sisters gave him a briefing on what they had learned while they had been in that area of the Hopelands, including Hopeville. They did not identify the mysterious male contact they had been gaining information from and he did not press the matter.

Rachel was the cooler one of the sisters, sitting in a set of bikinis at the meeting table. “Strange incidents are common to the Hopelands but something new is happening. Hopelanders prefer, mostly, to deal with low level, less powerful but less dangerous demonfolk. They are the Sezshia, the Sezshoco and the Sezshilli along with some others at odd times. They never demand souls or human sacrifices but they only offer basic goods and services in return. They are summoned forth using mostly the traditional star-circle that is basic magic and all that is needed with such low level entities.”

“Lately, when such summonings are carried out, they are increasingly ending in disaster when far more powerful demons crash through them and attack the summoners. The star-circles are, of course, not powerful enough to contain such demonic monsters. This is a breaking of demonic laws of the DemonoCoda. We fear that this will draw the attention of the Devils, the great demonic entities that rule and regulate all of the demonic realms. They will send powerful envoys along with enforcers, if they can do so.”

Samson had done a lot of studies on such matters but was realising he knew more than would be explained by those efforts. “There are the high mediators, the Lords and Ladies of Balance. They might also intervene and send an envoy with enforcers. The heavenly realms might.... yes, this situation could get very tricky, very quickly.”

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EverEpic One 13.2(29)

The Hopelands had enough darkness, enough troubles, with out introducing powerful demons into it. That there was a large force trying to invade, from the Jagged Mountains, made the situation worse.

Samson went through a briefing, flicking through the printed hardback book it had been turned into while in his Fatedomain. He had already absorbed all of its data. “The big invasion attempt, from the west, coming along with the demons crashing through summonings barriers, might not be such a coincidence. Question is, what sort of link could they have between them, if any?”

Rhonda spoke this time, as if the three sisters were taking turns to say what they all knew. Samson had come to realise that they were three who were linked almost as one. That made them the same as his fictional characters though, in his novels, he had never stated overtly that it was so. It was interesting to see the concept become solid existence, if that what had actually happened.

“We need to access more resources and one way, though tricky, is to form useful links with organisations, factions, who might have information, at least. One of those is the TriImperial Paranormal Metaphysical Organisation and another is the CrystalMages Guild.” She went on speaking. “We could 'prime the pump' by sending them copies of this briefing but as anonymous identities at first. We could also give them at least one way to indirectly contact us.”

It was not the Estatefolk way of doing things but Samson trusted the triplets as to their honesty and efficiency; Estatefolk did not usually like working with 'outsiders'.

He nodded. “Please make it so!”

Edited by Maharg67
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EverEpic One 14.1(30)

While volunteers went west, to join the fight against the invaders from the Jagged Mountains, a large military force remained just outside of Hopeville. It was based at the low hulking, mostly underground, Citadel Courage.

There were those that demanded that all forces were sent westwards, especially the Jagged Estates that dwelt closest to the mountains, but most saw the wisdom of keeping forces in reserve. It was far from the first time such invasions had been launched and the muties were far from stupid, at least not all of them. They had tried various strategies before, often taken from military histories from before the Breaking of the World. A secondary offensive could easily begin at any time.

At which point the fighting stopped as abruptly as it had begun. Word soon spread that the invaders were not so much invaders as refugees fleeing from powerful, dark forces that had pushed them out of their territories. Negotiations had begun to settle the newcomers into the Jagged High Hills area where they could create fortified colonies supported by the empire. In exchange they would become part of the TripleEmpire and would give tributes of sorts.

The Jagged Estatefolk complained bitterly that they owned the Jagged High Hills but their claims had never gained any real legitimacy, either before or after the TriLegions had arrived in the region.

The Jagged Estatefolk were considered to be amongst the most extreme Estatefolk when it came to the worst of their traditions; that is selfishness, isolationism, arrogance, aggression, greed and secret dark activities. There had once been over 100 Jagged Estates but over 30 had been raided by the empire, transformed and passed over to other folks in the area. Crimes had been slavery of many kinds, black magic including demonology and necromancy, trade in dangerous addictive substances, the illegal manufacture and sale of military weapons, ritual cannibalism, the forging of almost everything valuable that could be forged, dark pornography, death games and much else.

Forces kept going west but in a slower, more planned fashion. An even more powerful threat was approaching the Jagged TriBorder that would need both standard and more exotic means to deal with it. CrystalMages, and other trusted orders of paranormal abilities, were to assist.

The TripleEmpire had promised to send a TriLegion if it was able to do. This last message was an odd way of the empire confessing that it already faced great challenges that it had managed to conceal from most of its people. Many people wanted clarification, wanted more information, but most did not get it at that time.

So where the the TriLegions and what were they doing? Other questions began to arise such as where were the Grand Aerofleets and what were they doing? They, along with other powerful elite forces of the empire, had seemingly vanished. Folks of one imperial region had assumed that the forces were in another region but as they checked on this, it was turning out not to be true.

TriImperial Citizens began to grow concerned about what was happening.

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EverEpic One 15.1(31)

 

The newcomers, of the UIC SIRIO, had moved into the new base of operations that was an old low hulking fortress, being mostly underground, with name of Fortress Freedom. The empire used outposts, bigger forts, even bigger fortresses and massive citadels. Fortress Freedom had long been replaced by a more modern fortress to be used by the local military forces but had been secretly upgraded. Openly it was still only semiactive with a caretaker force looking after it.

 

The newcomers were very impressed with the resources of the TripleEmpire, when they were efficiently focused in that manner. They knew, as many others did, that the empire had been facing increasing troubles in more recent centuries, being of external, internal and more exotic kinds; that last was harder to explain than the former two.

 

It was concrete, it was steel, it was hard crystal-glasses and big areas of fused stone blocks. It was massive and some areas were maze like but most were of more straight forward, military traditional layout. In old warehouses, full of preservation gases, were carefully stored warmachines, weapons and other items of old fashioned design. Except that a large amount could be adapted for modern use, especially if the need became critical for such resources.

 

While the shifting into the big bunker complex continued, the Prime Taskteam, made up of TPMI and SIRIO people along with others, was sitting at a meeting to discuss the mysterious briefing sent to them as three hardback books of impressive quality. Only the sheriff was not there as he had to continue to serve in his major role for Hopeville and the area.

 

In a big concrete, and stone, chamber they sat at a big metal table. It was a meeting chamber that would be used, exclusively, by the Taskteam on many occasions. On the table was one of the hardback books, as received by an unknown faction, along with more basic copies of it and copies of a briefing made from studies of the original books. The other two original books were in the heavily secured archives and being examined by another taskteam.

 

James Jamestone spoke. “Note the black cover, the golden writing on the front and the golden wheel emblem on the back. This book, like the other two, is linked with the Fatelords, the Fategames and even the Fategods. Those names are mere labels of mysteries that the labels do not explain in any real manner.”

 

James Jamestone was using a slid projector to project the image, of the golden game wheel, up onto a unfolded portable screen. “It is far from the only such mystery linked with groups of mysterious entities often called 'Lords' or even 'Lord-Ladies'.”

 

The CrystalMage Patty Vandis shook her head as if to some though in her own mind. “The Tomes of ThalmuaTi, whose origin is another puzzle, speak of the Evolving Hierarchy of the Multiversal Lord-Ladies as a kind of tool, or expression, of GodGoddess her-himself. Each set of such Lord-Ladies has its own purpose, which is ever evolving, changing, along with the hierarchy itself. The Fategods are the 'highest' of the Lord-Ladies of Fate and they deal with moments of critical decisions, of changing points in destiny, of moments of vital transformation. The Fategames are not always played but when they are the Lord-Ladies of Games are involved also.”

 

The next slide showed a complex mystical spiritual pattern showing the Evolving Hierarchy of the Multiversal Lord-Ladies, or at least a basic view of it.

Edited by Maharg67
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EverEpic One 15,2(32)

She paused before going on. “The focus is on a Fateplayer or perhaps more than one. I would say that there is a Fateplayer here, now, in this very area and that the three copies of the briefing was sent by that one. There is another clue for the three books are of materials unlike anything known on this world except for some alien artifacts. They were made by a Fatedevice.”

Peter Bishop spoke. “So how do we find this one?”

Patty responded. “We take small, quiet steps. It is not safe to do anything else, when dealing with the Fategames, unless the need is great. We send some valuable information back to the sender. We send three finely made books, copies that is, of the information. We make the information strong, honest and with out trickeries. The data sent to us was straight forward and held nothing back. We need to work the same way.”

James Jamestone nodded. “Very well, that is what we will do.”

Peter Daviding scowled and then spoke with great intensity. “I say that this is a foolish act. We give them only enough to draw them into a trap. We give them nothing of real value. If we capture this Fateplayer than it gives us a powerful tool to use. Imagine being able to influence the Fategods themselves.”

The others looked to the man in amazement and puzzlement. What he had suggested sounded both unwise and troubling of nature.

James Jamestone turned and scowled hard at the smaller man. “Go from this room and report to Marshal Strongbow. She wishes to talk to you about your attitude and actions over the last month or so. These security people will escort you.”

Two TPMI Security Officers walked into the room in black fatigues, belts and boots. Each had a long club, a semiautomatic pistol and other gear. Peter Daviding glowered but he did not give any resistance to being taken away.

The CrystalMage frowned softly. “Long term intense study of dark arts can lead to being too drawn to the dark side, especially to one's own dark side.”

James gave a look of tired disdain. “I hope so but I fear my old comrade, of a scholar, has become attracted to the ideas of the dark, to power and to a taller body. Yes, he has never gotten over being born a dwarf. It did not help that his father constantly belittled him all of his childhood and that others did the same. He was born of the Estatefolk and sometimes they can be most cruel when it comes to such matters.”

“That is hardly exclusive to the Estatefolk.” Peter Bishop grimaced. “Such experiences are not uncommon in the UIC.”

Nobody argued with him for they had no reason to do so.

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EverEpic One 16.1(33)

A couple of days passed in which Samson did some studies at the main library of the mansion. He had passed on more resources to both his mother and to the Rhodes Sisters. He had spent more time at his Fatedomain where he was always with at least one of the Rhodes Sisters. He got much more training done as well as studies, meditation and even sleep.

A briefing came to Samson from the TPMI in the form of three copies as fine leather bound hardback volumes containing much information.

The SIRIO and TPMI people went on working together as the TPMI base continued to be completed as a full working place.

There had been six known, brutal murders, of people by demonic forces. Samuel Foremale had been the third and the two Mowalken siblings had been the fourth and fifth. Now a sixth was dead, a well known local summoner-mediator of deals between mortals and low level demons such as the Sezshia, the Sezshoco and the Sezshilli. That summoner-mediator was named Terri OHobo, being a moderately skilled and powerful bloodmage.

Terri OHobo had been trying to make a summoning based contract for some smugglers to gain information in exchanged for a large basket of rotten chicken eggs, a dead rabbit and rolls of toilet paper. Nobody bothered to ask why the the Sezshia, the Sezshoco and the Sezshilli wanted what they did in deals because the answers, if any were given, never made sense on a human level of understanding.

He had drawn a star-circle with two extra circles in hopes it would add protection, which it would do but not much. Then he had done the summoning. Briefly a frightened Sezshia had appeared to him but then had come a razorbuz, one of the dreaded Demozozo. Terri OHobo would never had dared, or wanted to, summon such a powerful creature that was beyond his control. The demonic monster had made no attempt to make any kind of deal but had attacked the mortal and had butchered him to death.

There had been witnesses being two men who had wanted to be part of the deal to be meditated. They were smugglers who had fled into the wilderness. The razorbuz had not tried to attack them but had stolen the items they had meant to offer the Sezshoco.

Patty Vandis, and other CrystalMages, had examined the scene and had even managed to track down the frightened smugglers to bribe them into answering some questions. The bribes had been fairly generous, especially for low key smugglers, and yet there was not much for them to tell. The two men had seen a massive reddish coloured beast come out of nowhere, after glimpsing a frightened lesser demon cowering there. Then they had been too busy running to learn any more.

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EverEpic One 17.1(34)

Olivia Dunham, and Dana Scully, made their way along a very old stone hallway in the fortress. It was so old that it had been constructed by the TriLegionaries who had first invaded the Darklands, later to be renamed the Hopelands.

They were Citystaters, not TriImperials, and not comfortable with the idea of summoning entities of any kind, let alone demons. Yet such things happened in the UIC as well though not as much as it did in parts of the TripleEmpire. The Hopelands were one of those places where it took place in relatively large numbers despite TriImperial attempts to crush the practice.

The Citystaters brought with them a new perspective on what was happening, outside of the habitual thinking of the TriImperials. It was the main reason they were welcome to assist with the problem by the TripleEmpire or so the TriImperials stated unofficially; they would never do so officially except under very extreme circumstances. Indeed it was surprising that they had let the SIRIO come into the TripleEmpire at all.

Scully spoke even as they passed two sentries as the tunnel began a gentle curving turn to the left and also started to go downwards at a gentle angle. “Something does not add up here, not at all. Something does not feel right. Ever since we have arrived in Hopeville I have felt something 'disturbing in the very air itself'.”

Olivia looked to her associate and friend. “Sometimes I think... I glimpse things out of the corners of my eyes. Just odd things like objects that are not actually there but might be there if somebody had fitted a room out differently. It has only been happening for about an hour or so.”

Scully nodded. “The sort of things that happened to you when we had those troubles with the quasireality of probable alternates crashing into this one. Walter could always explain it better intellectually but you 'felt' and in some ways understood it better. Except now we are dealing with demonic dimensions or so I thought.”

Olivia nodded. “Which would explain the nature of some of the objects I glimpse, that are not really there, such as statues of mutilated grinning humans or demonic monsters or blood smeared marks on walls or wall tapestries showing human sacrifices.”

The other woman grimaced. “Yes, it could be related. Have you spoken with others about this?”

“To Peter, that is my Peter, yes!” Olivia responded. “He said he would speak to Walter about it.”

The two halted, almost as one, and drew their semiautomatic pistols. They did not fire, though, for the demonic creature was crouching down pitifully with its arms over its head. Clearly the low level demon was more frightened of them than they were of it.

Then it spoke with much evident fear and discomfort. “I am of the Sezshilli and I bring an important message from both we lessers and more powerful ones of the demonic kinds. Summonings are going wrong because of things happening here, on this side, not because of things happening in our realms. Something is dragging at powerful demons every time somebody tries to summon us lessers. You pass this message on, ugly human mortals.” Then it vanished with a sparkling shimmer.

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EverEpic One 17.2(35)

The two women were soon met by Patty Vandis, the CrystalMage racing there because she had 'sensed' the unsummoned appearance of the lesser demon, which was supposedly an impossible thing to have have happened.

Patty examined the area with the help of some small glowing crystals she scattered over the floor. They were of the same kind she had used when examining the murder scene of Samuel Foremale, in the temple.

That temple had been explored and entrances had been found to an ancient network of tunnels, chambers and other spaces. There had been indications that some of them had been more recently used but most were thick with undisturbed dust. Such tunnel networks were as often used by typical criminals as by cultists and yet indications of dark cult use had been found. Nothing conclusive, as information, had been gained.

There was the visioning but it only showed the lesser demon popping out of mid air, being shoved by claw-hands belonging to a bigger stronger demon, crouching in fear and then passing on the message. Clearly it had been forced to come through and give the message but had suffered no harm as the bigger demon had helped it go back the other way by pulling it through. Demons did help each other, at times, even if it was not intrinsic to their nature to do so. Most often it was done because an even more powerful demon, even a Devil, ordered them to do so.

Patty frowned hard with much concern. “The demon that pushed, and then pulled, the lesser cousin was no less than a demidevil. Demidevls are one caste below true devils and are extremely potent, dangerous, intelligent and cunning. They are also special servants of devils and so this means very high powers of the demonic domains have become drawn to this issue. This is not good, not good at all.”

The issue was not to be discussed then and there. Meetings would be organised and more work would need to be done. The fortress had to be made more secure in transdimensional terms but so did the whole of the Hopelands if not beyond.

They had to find out what was really going on and try to put an end to it soon, if they could. Otherwise they would have to seek the help of 'higher powers' and that was a tricky process in its own right.

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