Just outside of Jupiter’s gravitational pull, beyond the boundaries of Europa, Ganymede, Callista, and Io sits a massive ship graveyard. A vast field of decommissioned and destroyed debris placed there specifically as to not be an eyesore upon House Kennet’s glorious Commonwealth. The ships moored there passed on their names and salvagable parts to more worthy vessels long ago, and the graveyard is unknown to most folk in the Commonwealth, but some life does still lurk within the oft overlooked quadrant. Scoundrels, killers, and cutthroats of all stripes prowl the area, hiding among the skel ..read more

“The Wingard’s Anchor assembly plant in the Cydonian sector went dark a few days ago. House Wingard is furious, obviously. Last transmission from security was a run-of-the-mill all hands call for the night shift. After that, nothing. No one in, no one out, not even the factory techs. Anything that gets close to the place in plain view either gets shot down or blown up by something on-site. Something that hits very, very hard. Most likely a number of Anchors rolled the factory overnight, though no demands have been made and no allegiances declared. We don’t know who’s sponsoring the other side ..read more

“I was fifteen years old, the last time the Union tried to take back the Freeholds. A ‘fact of life’ my mother told me. Happens periodically. Been happening forever, shit. And we’ve pushed them back every time, them and Kennet’s damned Commonwealth. Every time, for centuries. Like clockwork. Let’s look at the state of things, folks. Our forebearers watched the Solar Union collapse. Saw it reborn as the ghoulish bastard-thing it is now. Saw the Jovian’s close ranks. And even apart, they still come after us. They go out of their way to cast hell on our lives. For a mining operation that dried up ..read more

BY THE ORDER of General Aspect Abell, Acting Commander of the Armed Forces of Shard: All civilian, reserve, and active duty personnel currently residing within the Settlement of Lockstock are hereby instructed to evacuate the area within the next twenty-four hours. Following established emergency protocols, all available transports have been assigned to begin transfer of evacuees from Lockstock to the settlements of Boon, Summit, and Nomad’s Heights effective immediately. At this time, travel to the settlements of Oxbow, Glasstown, Sandbar, and Port o’ Plenty is deemed ill-advised. Those of yo ..read more

It had been awhile since she had entertained guests. She hoped she would still prove an adequate host. She could not afford to be inhospitable at a time like this. Not with so much on the line. She did not often ask her subjects to make their way to this place, to her home. Often simply entering the Miasma under her influence was enough. But that influence could only reach so far outside without straining her, and she needed to be at her full potential for her next guest. A very special boy, one of exceptional heart and mind and ambition. One who wanted to do good, as she had. One who could ch ..read more

Life in Lockstock was a bit harder than it had been in Port ‘o Plenty, sure. Her skills didn’t really suit the place. She was no fighter, no grand strategic mind. But to her credit Suri was getting used to it. Getting used to sleeping in the quieter alleys and keeping to herself in the daytime. Getting used to switching aliases with what acquaintances she had made. Getting used to hiding her face in public, keeping her head low, and avoiding eye contact in case someone might recognize her. Suri the Engineer from Port ‘o Plenty. Suri, the one who caused the Incident. Suri, the Jaxx whose pictur ..read more

They had been in worse situations, hadn’t they? After all the time Bazeen had known her, known any of them really, he wasn’t so sure. It doesn’t get much worse than this, he thought. They’d managed to skid out of plenty of scrapes before. Worse for wear? Sure, but never anything like this. Not even Glasstown was like this. He was there in the Bazaar, standing next to Coleraine of all people. They looked down on Sierra’s makeshift sickbed, close enough to watch over her, but too far away to do anything useful. There was little else to be done now. As his best friend wheezed and bled and fell un ..read more

A white flare. The signal was supposed to be a white flare. Streaking into the night sky over Lockstock while the soldiers below stood sentinel along the walls. That was when the Deviants among them would turn their coats. When the revolt would begin. But the signal never came. The sun sank and the soldiers of Lockstock, the Deviants among them, went about their tasks with only the faintest hint of a traitorous edge. In the night of pondering that followed, the morning of uncertainty, and the meeting in secret, it was determined that those assembled had been played for fools. Their fear, inexp ..read more

DeGrasse. A week and a half has passed in your journey from Oxbow to Lockstock and a few more weeks are ahead of you still before you reach your destination. You have no idea what awaits you in that faraway town, or who might be moving against your party at this very moment. With plenty of time to move about the cabin of Bazeen’s Bazaar, or not, you’ve had a long while to mull things over in-between meal conversations, sleep, and road games with your new friends. Your mind wanders back to your old life, your old home. A strange place to you now in your new life, though it has changed it seems ..read more

Lyra, Bazeen’s Bazaar pulls away from the Tillfield Homestead. As it makes its way through Oxbow proper and starts out onto the open road, you settle in for what will surely be a weeks long journey to Lockstock. You have no idea what awaits you in that faraway town, or who might be moving against your party at this very moment. In the meantime, there is downtime. Some of your companions you look forward to spending time with. Others, you’d rather avoid. For now, you go to your quarters. There, you find a small book of as-yet-unreadable poetry, collected some time ago. Your eyes wander from the ..read more