The Crew of the Dancing Crab
The Windlock Commune is an odd melting pot, a place where people from all over Zé come together. It's built on the wreck of an old raft, and drifts barely above the toxic clouds that cover so much of Zé. It's a haven for artists, dissidents, and those who don't quite fit in where they're supposed to. It's not a bad metaphor for all of you. Most of you drifted into Windlock at some point or another, but you didn't quite stay. Somehow, you all wound up together, crewing a beat up old jumpship, but honestly, there's nowhere you'd rather be. The ship keeps flying, and that's what matters. You take all kinds of odd jobs, mostly smuggling things around the galaxy. When money gets tight, you don't look too close at the cargo, and you know you've wound up carrying a few things on and off of Din Shass over the years that you maybe shouldn't have. But that's how the world works.
There are a few things that tie you all together. Most importantly, none of you can stand the Agerrans. They've ruled your planet for two decades, and they need to be gone. That's not to say you're going to go to war against them, but, well, if the opportunity comes up, you're certainly not going to back down from it. You all know that much about each other. You've been flying together long enough that you might as well be family at this point. That said, some of you keep secrets, and that's alright. People talk when they're ready, and you're not going to force anything.
For the last few years, most of your trips to Zé were to smuggle Dawnlighters and archaeologists who wanted to see the planet up close. All that went wild a few months ago. You were contacted by a pair of Gyra refugees, I. Ryf-av ((Aaron Sunshine)) and and L. Ryf-av ((Abigail Stone)), who hired you to pull off a completely ridiculous job: they wanted you to rescue A. Ya-rett, one of the most radical leaders of the Gyra refugee movement, who had been imprisoned in the Stormgate Temple for years. To be honest, you're still not entirely sure why you did it, but you pulled it off. You had help from an insider--R. En-fi ((Ivan Wong))--a Gyra-born Agerran officer, who provided you with guard rotations, maps, and so on.
It took months of planning, and was dangerous beyond all reason. You suited up in Sunken suits and made the dangerous trek through the Miasma (carefully avoiding the deadly giant crabs your ship is named for), then scaled the peak and approached the Stormgate Temple from below. As far as you know, no one else has ever made it in, let alone back out again. You did, though, and you got out with Ya-rett ((Richard Dupell)) alive and intact. He came with company, though. Turns out that while imprisoned he'd made an unlikely friend, who he wouldn't leave without. So now you have two strange passengers--a Gyra radical, and the legendary Agerran Admiral Therra ((Matt Cook)), who oversaw the destruction of Gyr in the first place, imprisoned by his own people for decades.
It took you another few weeks to get them offworld, but you finally did, and you've brought them to Phaelos III to meet up with the Ryf-avs and make the delivery. This is your wildest job yet, and you hope the pay will be worth it. Even if it isn't, though, it'll be worth it to stick it to the Agerrans. Once that's all done, though, you'll need a new job. Hopefully one will show up soon enough.
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1214784418631248/
The Windlock Commune is an odd melting pot, a place where people from all over Zé come together. It's built on the wreck of an old raft, and drifts barely above the toxic clouds that cover so much of Zé. It's a haven for artists, dissidents, and those who don't quite fit in where they're supposed to. It's not a bad metaphor for all of you. Most of you drifted into Windlock at some point or another, but you didn't quite stay. Somehow, you all wound up together, crewing a beat up old jumpship, but honestly, there's nowhere you'd rather be. The ship keeps flying, and that's what matters. You take all kinds of odd jobs, mostly smuggling things around the galaxy. When money gets tight, you don't look too close at the cargo, and you know you've wound up carrying a few things on and off of Din Shass over the years that you maybe shouldn't have. But that's how the world works.
There are a few things that tie you all together. Most importantly, none of you can stand the Agerrans. They've ruled your planet for two decades, and they need to be gone. That's not to say you're going to go to war against them, but, well, if the opportunity comes up, you're certainly not going to back down from it. You all know that much about each other. You've been flying together long enough that you might as well be family at this point. That said, some of you keep secrets, and that's alright. People talk when they're ready, and you're not going to force anything.
For the last few years, most of your trips to Zé were to smuggle Dawnlighters and archaeologists who wanted to see the planet up close. All that went wild a few months ago. You were contacted by a pair of Gyra refugees, I. Ryf-av ((Aaron Sunshine)) and and L. Ryf-av ((Abigail Stone)), who hired you to pull off a completely ridiculous job: they wanted you to rescue A. Ya-rett, one of the most radical leaders of the Gyra refugee movement, who had been imprisoned in the Stormgate Temple for years. To be honest, you're still not entirely sure why you did it, but you pulled it off. You had help from an insider--R. En-fi ((Ivan Wong))--a Gyra-born Agerran officer, who provided you with guard rotations, maps, and so on.
It took months of planning, and was dangerous beyond all reason. You suited up in Sunken suits and made the dangerous trek through the Miasma (carefully avoiding the deadly giant crabs your ship is named for), then scaled the peak and approached the Stormgate Temple from below. As far as you know, no one else has ever made it in, let alone back out again. You did, though, and you got out with Ya-rett ((Richard Dupell)) alive and intact. He came with company, though. Turns out that while imprisoned he'd made an unlikely friend, who he wouldn't leave without. So now you have two strange passengers--a Gyra radical, and the legendary Agerran Admiral Therra ((Matt Cook)), who oversaw the destruction of Gyr in the first place, imprisoned by his own people for decades.
It took you another few weeks to get them offworld, but you finally did, and you've brought them to Phaelos III to meet up with the Ryf-avs and make the delivery. This is your wildest job yet, and you hope the pay will be worth it. Even if it isn't, though, it'll be worth it to stick it to the Agerrans. Once that's all done, though, you'll need a new job. Hopefully one will show up soon enough.
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1214784418631248/
Player: Richard Dupell
Name: A. Ya-rett
Group: Dancing Crab Passenger
Homeworld: Gyr
Variant: Baseline
Character Coach: Evan Torner ([email protected])
Description:
No one ever claimed the fight for justice would be an easy one. And even if they had, you wouldn’t have believed them. You learned that in your youth on Gyr, and then again as a Captain. You led your people across the seas, and you did so with pride. You were a young Captain, but taking the lead always came naturally to you. People listened to you then, as they always have. When the war came, you argued that the Gyra should stay out of it. You saw the war immediately for what it was--a war between Baryos and Agerre. But your words were not heeded, and your beloved world was dragged into the war, and eventually destroyed.
You tried to protect the people around you, but so many of them died when the seas boiled. It was all unnecessary. It was horrifying. It should never have happened. But it happened. Your world was wiped out at the hands of the Agerrans. After the war, those of your people who survived spread to the stars. Many moved out to the colonies, and many relocated to Dor Len Sono, to eke out a living on the empty farms.
A life like that would never satisfy you. You began to organize, to protest, to rally. Just as you had when you were a Captain, you began to lead. Only now you weren’t leading a fleet of ships across an ocean, you were leading what you soon realized was a revolutionary movement. Many among the Gyra survivors, like L. Vy-an ((Chris Bergstresser)) called for peace, for focusing on just supporting the other refugees. You knew that wouldn’t be enough, and had little time for those small-minded people. If the Gyra just settled, your culture and history would soon be lost. You would be assimilated into wherever you became refugees.
In your view, the Gyra needed two things: reparations and a new world to call your own. Much of this should come from Agerre, to be certain, but you held Baryos accountable as well. It was the Baryosi who dragged Gyr into the war, and the Baryosi who let Gyr bleed and burn for them. Baryos owed Gyr an inconceivable debt, and yet it would not even take in refugees, shunting them instead to the barren expanses of Dor Len Sono.
So you organized, and many flocked to your banner. You gave the Gyra, especially the young ones, something to work towards, something to fight for. You had friends, like Fal, who you had known back on Gyr. She introduced you to her protege, V. Av-ey ((Jeeyon Shim)), Captain of a beautiful racing ship called the Windlance. More than once, Av-ey and her crew of Gyra racers transported you and your fellow radicals quietly to and from meetings.
As time went on, your tactics got more and more aggressive. Some among your followers, like N. Fi-lett ((Duane Padilla)), took to using violence and terrorism against the Agerrans, seeking vengeance. You weren’t going to be the one to tell them to tone it back. It couldn’t last, though. You attempted to travel to Kaldir, one of the colonies living under Agerran occupation, in an attempt to meet with Gyra refugees you had heard were quartered there. One of your contacts sold you out, and you were arrested by the Agerrans as an agitator and a terrorist.
The Agerrans imprisoned you in Stormgate Temple, an Ancient ruin they’d converted to a political prison. You resigned yourself to a long, quiet life in the Temple. It wasn’t like the Galactic League would be coming to your rescue--the Baryosi were just as happy to have you out of their hair. And your followers were dedicated, but not to the level of rescuing you from a temple prison surrounded by an eternal thunderstorm atop a mountain above a sea of toxic fog.
You did befriend one of the guards, Y. En-fi ((Ivan Wong)), who was originally Gyra but stayed with their ship when the war split everything in half. En-fi had stepped back from the main branch of the military, relegated to guard duty here. They were conflicted, and full of guilt. They weren’t ready to defect entirely, but eventually, when the smugglers came to rescue you, En-fi helped with the escape, and helped cover your exit. You hope you’ll get another chance to see them.
Everything changed a few years ago, when you met R. Therra ((Matt Cook)). At first you didn’t realize who he was. Then you made the connection. This was Admiral Therra, the man responsible for ordering the destruction of Gyr. Then your fist made a connection with his face. Then the guards dragged you away. That was about how things went for a week.
It took a few months for the change to fully take effect. At some point you honestly got bored of beating Therra up. He never really tried to fight back, or even defend himself, and you had to ask why. To your shock and confusion, he told you that he knew he deserved it. You knew that after the war he had tried to issue a statement of apology, but you had always assumed it was purely political.
Over the next few years, you realized otherwise. Therra was entirely genuine in his contrition and regret. He had never meant to destroy Gyr. He only meant to destroy a specific military target. Therra was a military leader, not a monster. He had never intended to hurt innocents, but he had become so caught up in his national idealism that he had betrayed his own morals. On Baryos he had destroyed gods from orbit, and on Gyr he wiped out an entire people. Therra held himself responsible, but he held Agerre as a whole just as responsible for creating him.
So when the crew of the Dancing Crab suddenly appeared to pull you from your cell, you knew there was no way you could leave Therra behind. You were going to rebuild Gyr, and Therra was going to rebuild Agerre, from the inside out. The two of you had gone from archenemies to friends and allies. You don’t yet know how your followers will react, and you’re not looking forward to telling them you’ve befriended the man who destroyed Gyr, but you hope they’ll be able to understand. If not now, then later.
In the meantime, you’ve been enjoying your time aboard the Dancing Crab. After years in prison, even the smallest change of scenery is exciting. The crew are interesting, and have been catching you up on the galactic news of the last few years. To be honest, it sounds like little has changed (though you’re proud of the Windlance winning the Backspin Orbit race!). You’ve befriended K. Hakutsa ((Ben Long)), a retired sky pirate, once a fellow Captain. The two of you have been trading stories all the way from Zé.
Soon you’ll be on Phaelos III. You’re thrilled to see the sky again, and smell salt on the air. There, Captain Suhesa ((Hakan Seyalioglu)) will re-introduce you to the group of Gyra who paid for your escape. Suhesa says they’re part of a reborn Silent Conversation. Once you have them with you… perhaps you’ll have what you need to make a new world for the Gyra. A new home that you can call your own. But after all those years in prison, it’s hard to know how you feel. Part of you wants to be done fighting, but part of you is raring to go, and ready to come out swinging. Only time will tell how you react to your newfound freedom.
Light: You’re a revolutionary leader, fighting for causes of justice and righteousness in the face of terrible enemies and historical pain - people follow you, because you give them hope for a better future.
Dark: You’d condone more violence and suffering, even of innocent people, if it’s in the name of justice and revenge. You’re a radical, and you inspire people to do terrible things in your name.
Relations:
R. Therra ((Matt Cook))
Y. En-fi ((Ivan Wong))
L. Vy-an ((Chris Bergstresser))
V. Av-ey ((Jeeyon Shim))
N. Fi-lett ((Duane Padilla))
K. Hakutsa ((Ben Long))
J. Suhesa ((Hakan Seyalioglu))
Questions:
Name: A. Ya-rett
Group: Dancing Crab Passenger
Homeworld: Gyr
Variant: Baseline
Character Coach: Evan Torner ([email protected])
Description:
No one ever claimed the fight for justice would be an easy one. And even if they had, you wouldn’t have believed them. You learned that in your youth on Gyr, and then again as a Captain. You led your people across the seas, and you did so with pride. You were a young Captain, but taking the lead always came naturally to you. People listened to you then, as they always have. When the war came, you argued that the Gyra should stay out of it. You saw the war immediately for what it was--a war between Baryos and Agerre. But your words were not heeded, and your beloved world was dragged into the war, and eventually destroyed.
You tried to protect the people around you, but so many of them died when the seas boiled. It was all unnecessary. It was horrifying. It should never have happened. But it happened. Your world was wiped out at the hands of the Agerrans. After the war, those of your people who survived spread to the stars. Many moved out to the colonies, and many relocated to Dor Len Sono, to eke out a living on the empty farms.
A life like that would never satisfy you. You began to organize, to protest, to rally. Just as you had when you were a Captain, you began to lead. Only now you weren’t leading a fleet of ships across an ocean, you were leading what you soon realized was a revolutionary movement. Many among the Gyra survivors, like L. Vy-an ((Chris Bergstresser)) called for peace, for focusing on just supporting the other refugees. You knew that wouldn’t be enough, and had little time for those small-minded people. If the Gyra just settled, your culture and history would soon be lost. You would be assimilated into wherever you became refugees.
In your view, the Gyra needed two things: reparations and a new world to call your own. Much of this should come from Agerre, to be certain, but you held Baryos accountable as well. It was the Baryosi who dragged Gyr into the war, and the Baryosi who let Gyr bleed and burn for them. Baryos owed Gyr an inconceivable debt, and yet it would not even take in refugees, shunting them instead to the barren expanses of Dor Len Sono.
So you organized, and many flocked to your banner. You gave the Gyra, especially the young ones, something to work towards, something to fight for. You had friends, like Fal, who you had known back on Gyr. She introduced you to her protege, V. Av-ey ((Jeeyon Shim)), Captain of a beautiful racing ship called the Windlance. More than once, Av-ey and her crew of Gyra racers transported you and your fellow radicals quietly to and from meetings.
As time went on, your tactics got more and more aggressive. Some among your followers, like N. Fi-lett ((Duane Padilla)), took to using violence and terrorism against the Agerrans, seeking vengeance. You weren’t going to be the one to tell them to tone it back. It couldn’t last, though. You attempted to travel to Kaldir, one of the colonies living under Agerran occupation, in an attempt to meet with Gyra refugees you had heard were quartered there. One of your contacts sold you out, and you were arrested by the Agerrans as an agitator and a terrorist.
The Agerrans imprisoned you in Stormgate Temple, an Ancient ruin they’d converted to a political prison. You resigned yourself to a long, quiet life in the Temple. It wasn’t like the Galactic League would be coming to your rescue--the Baryosi were just as happy to have you out of their hair. And your followers were dedicated, but not to the level of rescuing you from a temple prison surrounded by an eternal thunderstorm atop a mountain above a sea of toxic fog.
You did befriend one of the guards, Y. En-fi ((Ivan Wong)), who was originally Gyra but stayed with their ship when the war split everything in half. En-fi had stepped back from the main branch of the military, relegated to guard duty here. They were conflicted, and full of guilt. They weren’t ready to defect entirely, but eventually, when the smugglers came to rescue you, En-fi helped with the escape, and helped cover your exit. You hope you’ll get another chance to see them.
Everything changed a few years ago, when you met R. Therra ((Matt Cook)). At first you didn’t realize who he was. Then you made the connection. This was Admiral Therra, the man responsible for ordering the destruction of Gyr. Then your fist made a connection with his face. Then the guards dragged you away. That was about how things went for a week.
It took a few months for the change to fully take effect. At some point you honestly got bored of beating Therra up. He never really tried to fight back, or even defend himself, and you had to ask why. To your shock and confusion, he told you that he knew he deserved it. You knew that after the war he had tried to issue a statement of apology, but you had always assumed it was purely political.
Over the next few years, you realized otherwise. Therra was entirely genuine in his contrition and regret. He had never meant to destroy Gyr. He only meant to destroy a specific military target. Therra was a military leader, not a monster. He had never intended to hurt innocents, but he had become so caught up in his national idealism that he had betrayed his own morals. On Baryos he had destroyed gods from orbit, and on Gyr he wiped out an entire people. Therra held himself responsible, but he held Agerre as a whole just as responsible for creating him.
So when the crew of the Dancing Crab suddenly appeared to pull you from your cell, you knew there was no way you could leave Therra behind. You were going to rebuild Gyr, and Therra was going to rebuild Agerre, from the inside out. The two of you had gone from archenemies to friends and allies. You don’t yet know how your followers will react, and you’re not looking forward to telling them you’ve befriended the man who destroyed Gyr, but you hope they’ll be able to understand. If not now, then later.
In the meantime, you’ve been enjoying your time aboard the Dancing Crab. After years in prison, even the smallest change of scenery is exciting. The crew are interesting, and have been catching you up on the galactic news of the last few years. To be honest, it sounds like little has changed (though you’re proud of the Windlance winning the Backspin Orbit race!). You’ve befriended K. Hakutsa ((Ben Long)), a retired sky pirate, once a fellow Captain. The two of you have been trading stories all the way from Zé.
Soon you’ll be on Phaelos III. You’re thrilled to see the sky again, and smell salt on the air. There, Captain Suhesa ((Hakan Seyalioglu)) will re-introduce you to the group of Gyra who paid for your escape. Suhesa says they’re part of a reborn Silent Conversation. Once you have them with you… perhaps you’ll have what you need to make a new world for the Gyra. A new home that you can call your own. But after all those years in prison, it’s hard to know how you feel. Part of you wants to be done fighting, but part of you is raring to go, and ready to come out swinging. Only time will tell how you react to your newfound freedom.
Light: You’re a revolutionary leader, fighting for causes of justice and righteousness in the face of terrible enemies and historical pain - people follow you, because you give them hope for a better future.
Dark: You’d condone more violence and suffering, even of innocent people, if it’s in the name of justice and revenge. You’re a radical, and you inspire people to do terrible things in your name.
Relations:
R. Therra ((Matt Cook))
Y. En-fi ((Ivan Wong))
L. Vy-an ((Chris Bergstresser))
V. Av-ey ((Jeeyon Shim))
N. Fi-lett ((Duane Padilla))
K. Hakutsa ((Ben Long))
J. Suhesa ((Hakan Seyalioglu))
Questions:
- After your time in prison, have your opinions changed towards the Gyra committing violence and acts of terrorism in your name?
- What is your end-goal vision for Phaelos III?
- Who do you blame most for the immolation of Gyr?
- What part of Gyr do you miss most?
