Darius Cole
Lieutenant Darius Cole
Excitable, determined, inquisitive, distracted, all of these can easily be attributed to Lt. Cole as he often finds himself bouncing between one fixation or another. Generally good natured it is often hard to see how this man could be a soldier, until he cant avoid the fight that is. At that point his training comes in and you're likely to see something new.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Tan of skin with blonde hair, he stands just shy of six feet in height. Under the armor he is physically fit, if a little thin. His Warcaster armor, blue, bears the golden swan of his homeland and has been modified with numerous tool pouches. Aside from his pistol he carries no obvious weapons, though there is little doubt the large wrench at his side would hurt enough.
Apparel & Accessories
As all warcaster are Darius Cole is equipped with a set of warcaster plate. The modified breastplate armor is equipped with a small boiler system of its own to help power movement and the arcantric devices it contains.
The armor is a deep cobalt blue with copper accents and a padded leather and chain jacket underneath. The golden swan of his homeland displayed on the left pauldron.
Mental characteristics
Education
Cygnaran Military Academy of Caspia
Employment
Journeyman Warcaster
Lieutenant Darius Cole is and inquisitive and inventive man Quite at odds with his military station.
View Character Profile
Alignment
LN
Age
20
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
Blue
Hair
Blond
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Tan
Height
5'10"
Weight
170
Lost in Ruin, Ep8
Days have continued to march forward and I feel players moving behind the scenes. The Hellknights recruiting efforts have picked up steam and it feels like half the camp has joined them. At Gemma's insistence I had a long conversation with their leader Krokkin about transparency of information and recent events. While I'm satisfied with the matter for now it did little to dull my worries. Of the two times I had been kept in the dark either by design or accident it seems both were by accident or oversight. More concerning is that the second matter was foreign to Krokkin as well and she did not grasp the significance of it. To be frank I'm not sure what to make of the situation overall but I will be more cautious with my limited resources when it comes to their planned missions from now on.
On better news the ballista project is complete and we are prepping for mobilization to the barricade strong points and getting off this island. I have a particular building scoped out for a proper workshop that will allow us to make adjustments to our jacks as well as construct tools and parts for further construction efforts. We have acquired a local laborjack, its processes are rudimentary at best but it possesses enough strength and awareness to perform manual labor with direction.
Recently we gained assistance in an unexpected manner, an information jack that calls itself Adjutant Four. It is intelligent, capable of speech, reasoning, and planning and has intricate knowledge of local technology and security systems. It informed me that the failsafe we experienced at the armory raid was not simply automated it was another intelligent jack called the Overseer. The Overseer has control of most military and security systems and jacks within the city, though time has made many of them inoperable it is still a threat. Adjutant Four has briefed me on how the locals controlled their jacks through the use of arcane signals and passcodes. Even brought with it an implement that when fixed will allow me to do so consistently, for it seems the locals understood cortex corruption enough to put in manual failsafe as well as codes to override the machines in the event of deviation. We will be working to restore the implement once the dockside is secure.
For now I will continue efforts to secure technology and maybe find a way back to Caspia. That... and play diplomat with a group of agnostic menites...
~Lieutenant Darius Cole.
Lost in Ruin, Ep7
It was so simple, so simple I wouldn't have seen it for another month at least. The converter I have strived so hard to recreate runs off of ambient magic in the form of light, not arcantric currents like I assumed. The raid on the city's armory was a success though some failsafe has rendered it inaccessible for the time being I got what I was after and am well on my way to recreating them in mass. The wraith's days in the docks are numbered for certain now. With the assistance of Rags and Ambrose we have assembled a form of ballista that fires beams of light instead of steel bolts, we fully intend to test it shortly.
As for dealings around the camp we are now seeing more and more people arrive through the portal, I can only assume the dragon's spell is still active somehow after its death. Still no one from Immoren, let alone Cygnar but I will hold out hope for reinforcements still. Interestingly there is a short Hellknight who rides a warjack of industrial design, Gemma, she seems intelligent enough but her association with those knights is worrying for my future here.
Our next step is to fortify the dockside area fully and then we can begin to move in to the area in full and get out from under this damned wyrm. Morrow willing we won't have to stay there long.
In service,
Darius Cole
Lt Warcaster
Lost in Ruin, Ep6
The rescue was a success. Sano and Noriko are returned to the camp and both seem be recovering well from the ordeal despite confirming what we had been told of their conditions. During the rescue we encountered and killed an intelligent shade, a vassal of this Great Spirit confirming our fears the spirit is in fact some form of wraith and will need to be dealt with accordingly. Unfortunately we ended up having to fight our way out but kept casualties to a minimum where we could.
With that over I am assembling a team to raid the city's armory tomorrow. I expect to encounter a number of warjacks of the local variety and hope to acquire at least one in tact crystal mount or crystal mounted weapon. Something, anything I can use to put this technology to our use. If the Strider's weapons are anything to go off this will be a huge boon to our defenses, likely allowing us to take the port and hold it for good. Which is great because I would greatly like to get outside this damn wyrms shadow.
Wish me luck, this will be the first I have seen of this city's actual warjacks. I know Hero's up to the challenge but we don't know how many. nor how strong, they will be.
In Service
~Darius Cole
Lt Warcaster, 4th Cygnaran Storm Corps.
Empire of Ruin, Ep 5
Much has changed in my knowledge of this work in the last several days.
Firstly it was revealed that the shadow creatures here come in a number of types, some simply spirits the locals call "Guardians" and the others.. Were the residents of this city at one point, they were killed and converted by the guardians. Secondly the local grymkin serve one such guardian they call "The great spirit", it believes us invaders and is directing the grymkin against us in attempt to drive us from this world. I have learned this from one such grymkin, Ko'ho'no'ka'Lu'ki which translates to One Who Laughs At Cat, a moniker boasting of his bravery. He was captured in the second raid on our food stores and is my captive until his fate is decided. He is both informative and frustrating, poor thing is a zealot thug only given enough information and conviction to serve its masters and slated to be killed by them if he strays. A slave soldier, how sad. Unfortunately tempers are running high around the camp as two of our companions have been kidnapped by the locals and are being subject to torture, twice now I have had to turn away attempts to torture Ko'ho'no'ka'lu'ki in retaliation the last of which I genuinely thought I was going to have to fight the leader of the hellknight detachment who stormed in with a red hot iron. I can only hope our actions tomorrow pan out and we can put an end to this situation for good.
Speaking of the knights I have concluded them to an analog to the Menites of our homeworld. They are obsessed with law and quick to anger, torture seems to be stock and trade against their adversaries. I will work with them as long as I need to but I believe we will find ourselves at odds before long. They have begun omitting information from other members of the camp under the guise of... security I guess, there seems to be a number of excuses but the result is the same. I will need to start preparations and finding out who among this camp allies with them in mentality if not procedure. What I would give for Sargent Tibs and his unit to be here with me.
The push into the city is progressing despite the recent setbacks, with the intersections secured we will be moving to fortify the area. I intend to mount an expedition to the armory and find the adaptor I need to start utilizing the crystal technology here. With that we will be able to hold the docks and start developing there. I am starting to get a grasp on the local language thanks to recent events so theres that as well. I will report back after tomorrows rescue efforts, wish me luck?
~Lt. Darius Cole
Journeyman Warcaster
4th Cygnaran Storm Corp.
Empire of Ruin: Ep4
Something of a breakthrough yesterday, I received my first glimpse at this city's doomed residents. Human, fairly normal looking at that aside from the strange robe-like clothing. Simple attire, draping robes of various designs, women's appeared longer and more decorated where the mens were simple and typically unadorned. We saw this within a series of scrying chambers where it seems the occupants could record themselves in both sound and image. It was quite fascinating and also gave us a brief look that confirmed the shadow horrors were the downfall of this place.
We recovered a great deal of material from a library of sorts that had been magically sealed against the elements. For some reason I've yet to figure out my team also brought back a limestone and quarts globe that had been defaced beyond any real use. Its possible we could mend it but I don't know if it is worth the efforts.
From the local survivor I've learned that there is a form of temporal magic at work here as well. She mentioned that when they claimed the forge there were distortions showing "alternate parties" as though looking at a mirror where details had been altered somehow. The implications of this are heavy and outside my realm of study if I'm being honest. Commander, not for the first time I greatly wish you or another member of the tempest could be here with me. We are working together but the others do not realize the world changing technology that sits in every home of this city. I'm in over my head attempting to decipher it all and am feeling increasingly alone on the matter.
I reckon that the guild Mirage had formed is all but non existent, I haven't seen either of the two remaining members in some days. Perhaps they are with Mirage wherever she has wandered off to...
I will record my adventures here as I can and paper allows.
In service to the Crown,
Lt. Darius Cole.
4th Cygnaran Storm Corp.
Lost in Ruin, Ep3
A lot has happened since I last wrote in here, a lot. ..
Over fourty sleep cycles have passed since we arrived, the lack of sun making this the only way for me to mark the passage of days at this point. Over this time we have had a few new arrivals appear within the fonts waters, and have even located a single survivor from the ruined city itself. She has no memory or knowledge of what happened here and best we can tell has been in some form of suspended animation for an extended period. With her assistance however and the persistence of Zeke we have finally cracked the first of the two languages here. Finally. This will make traversing the city easier and with any luck I will be able to forge a link with the local jacks, I can sense they can hear me, feel my trying at least.
On another note we recovered an in tact map of the city proper and are organizing to push out from the island into the docks. The local fey seem to be withdrawing from the area little by little, as with the wildlife who have taken refuge there. The problem of the City Shades still persists but we have discovered a few ways to weaken and or keep them at bay though not well if I'm honest. Something must be able to drive them back and keep them there. The Strider, a colossal warjack is capable of simple eradicating them, if I could link with it we would be most secure indeed.
On the topic of warjacks, the convergence engine continues to supply fire for Hero's boiler and shows no signs of stopping. I have begun modifications to increase efficiency of his other systems and he is steadily regaining the lost power from the system change. On a more curious note, the active time of Hero continues unabated and he is showing signs of potential new quirks, reasoning almost. I worry for what this is doing to him but there seems to be no manner to stop him other then cutting the circuits and risking cortex failure. Without him though I am at a significant disadvantage so I will not being attempting to interrupt the circuits flow.
There are growing factions now, and I have been tasked with managing one of them at least. The last thing I think we need is politics here but some structure wouldn't be missed in the slightest. We will simply have to wait and see how it turns out.
In service,
Lt. Darius Cole.
Lost in Ruin, Ep2
Warcaster's log, day 22?
A breakthrough has been had, I have successfully adapted an arcane circuit to this worlds ambient magic. As such it requires no batteries but is giving reduced output, I will work to continue to refine it as I am able. What I would give for the lab right now Sebastian. Along with this I am beginning the process of translating our spells to this world, it will likely be a lengthy process still. We have found a... survivor in the otherwise dead city. A strange dragonlike creature, capable of speech and flight and seemingly free of blight. I suspect she may simply be a draconic hybrid like the minions of Everblight but do not have the knowledge to really test this theory.
On a side note it seems tensions in the camp continue to rise as groups are beginning to form, most based around friendships formed before coming to this land. None of my soldiers have appeared and I appear to be the only one from Immoren among us. Multiple such groups, which they now title guilds, have sought to recruit me to their sides though what this could mean for the long run I can only speculate at. It seems that Hero's presence is an oddity among these people and understandably would rather recruit us then possibly face us at a later date.
As of yet only one group has not asked me to join them, a group of dour knights calling themselves Hellknights. By my best measure they are quite alike Menoth's followers, law and order to be upheld regardless of cost or public image. I'm relieved they haven't asked if I'm honest commander, not sure I could work with them for an extended period.
The other guilds are as such, the Mithral Dragoons, a group of arcane knights similar to our storm knights. The Frontier Coalition, made up of a diverse group these ones focus on expansion and discovery of the strange technologies we find here. You'd like them I'd wager. The last is the Stouthearts, dedicated to the defense of the community and betterment of it, theres no direct comparison I can come up with at this time for them but they seem genuine enough.
As always, I will continue to seek a way back to my country and yes, to you.
In service,
Lt. Darius Cole
Lost in Ruin:
Warcaster's log, day 12?
It has been a very strange time since being drawn into that portal. This world is alike to a fever dream I cannot wake from in many ways.
During the menite border skirmish the started on the 22nd our forces came under assault from a group of druids and their beasts. Rather then risk them harrying us all the way to base we dug in, thirty men of the 42nd trenchers, three gunmages, myself and my ironclad should have been able to hold out for reinforcements in the terrain. But the beasts were relentless and their master more clever then I gave him credit, it was going poorly to be honest. During the sixth day of fighting I found myself under assault from the menites, probably desperate to take our emplacements for themselves, and face to face with a vertical pool. It stood free in the air and rippled with obvious magic, through it I saw a ruined city overgrown with plants. I'm still not sure why I stepped through, I felt a presence like I would feel a jack, it was desperate and pleading. Stepping through what I now know to be a portal felt like drowning before I breached the surface into a large vestibule with many others. Before I had time to even consider where I was a dragon spoke, yes spoke. It said we needed to help it save the city before turning to obsidian glass. I do not know this dragons name though it is close in size and appearance to the dreaded Galefang of the northern mountains. I do not know what happened but I worry the blight may be slowly effecting the others here, we need to get clear of it soon.
The others are a topic unto themselves. As best as I can figure they were drawn through similar circumstances to here by the same means. They are not from Immoren, nor from any land we know of as yet. Many wield strange magic and speak like the gods have no bearing on such, they do not suffer stigma from healing magics, no arcane reflux either. I have conducted what experiments I am able to and have concluded that arcane energies permeate this place like a gas, I am working to adjust my spells to the climate. Also of note, the arcane circuits laced within my plate are not functioning, same with my ironclad's armaments though I'm convinced I can restore function thanks to said ironclad. Despite having run out of fuel on the second 'day' here it is still operational. The convergence engine which normally channels magic from the warcaster is able to siphon the ambient magic of this world, as such my warjack is able to operate without coal, though steam production is limited at this time....
Sebastian, I worry for my soldiers, what happened to them, and what you think happened to me. Please wait, I will find my way home, I have not abandoned the trust you've shown me.
In service of the crown,
Lieutenant Darius Cole
4th Cygnaran Storm Corps.
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