|
Post by Judas D'arc on Jun 29, 2019 15:26:49 GMT -5
“ Alone, we are but fingers. Together, we are the FIST!” -- Jon Abbot, circa 2002. Years ago, this group of sometimes adventurers, often outlaws, roamed the lands of Sosaria, combating evils and authorities in equal measure, disbanding only after most of its membership sacrificed themselves to thwart an other-worldly invasion. Now, many years later, the surviving members have joined together with new ones, all for the purpose of investigating various threats and mysteries. But will this new Emerald Fist save the world, or bring it closer to ruin? The Emerald Fist is a role-playing group on the Ultima Online - Catskills Shard that was founded in late 2001/early 2002. Our players desire true-to-character interactions and engaging story lines, with little influence from personal experience or bias. This thread will serve as an overview of the group’s history, membership, and story-lines. I. Out of Character History: Part One II. Out of Character History: Part TwoIII. Out of Character History: Part ThreeIV. Out of Character History: Part FourV. Character Roster
|
|
|
Post by Judas D'arc on Jun 29, 2019 15:29:03 GMT -5
Out of Character History: Part One“ Welcome to the next generation of Emerald Empire entertainment, the Emerald Fist. The Fist is not quite a spin off group, but a rejuvenation of creativity and imagination that made the Emerald Empire such a memorable group.” -- The player of Callisto, circa 2002. The origins of the Emerald Fist actually begin in the latter months of 1997 on the Atlantic shard of the Ultima Online MMORPG. Two players of this recently-launched game, Night “True” Angel and Mitzpieler, “the Green Knight,” were inspired to create a new guild called the Emerald Empire [EE]. While the meaning behind this name has been lost to history, its legacy has not. In December 1997, Night Angel decided to re-establish EE on a newly announced server, the Catskills shard, which officially opened on December 22, 1997. But almost immediately, life became too busy for Night Angel to oversee his now 60+ player guild, and he was reduced to making only sporadic appearances. With Mitzpieler inactive, EE’s GM decided to place their brain-child in the hands of two recent recruits he had inexplicably appointed as sub-leaders for the group, Callisto and Judas. Unfortunately for EE’s founders, but perhaps fortunately for the rest of the Catskills shard, Callisto and Judas were young, well-hung, and full of c-- ... actually, we had a sense of humor, ideas, and were equally inspired by the RP community that was quickly exploding across the server, particularly in and around Yew. Soon after taking over the guild, EE quickly transformed from a typical UO PvM guild into something special, a strict RP guild based around an in-depth background fiction and ongoing story line. A recounting of the 60+ role-players and characters that graced the Emerald Empire’s ranks during its 3+ years of existence would take at least 60+ words, but suffice to say, they consisted of some of the best role-players to ever play on the Catskills shard. However, all things, good and bad, must eventually come to an end, and thus was the fate of EE. By January 2001, the story line that began in the early months of 1997 had reached its glorious, epic conclusion, and the group disbanded in-character. As a group, we still played together, and through the fall of 2001, the surviving EE members were involved in various adventures and dealing with leftover plot threads. At the same time, the overall Catskills RP community was also evolving, and there were those of us who grew tired of what we felt was a drop in standards and quality. For many of us, it was time for a change ...
|
|
|
Post by Judas D'arc on Jul 1, 2019 22:21:22 GMT -5
Out of Character History: Part Two“ Whatever glimpses she had foreseen, whatever dark futures that would come to plague Sosaria, they were no longer her concern. The Emerald Empire might fall a second time, gods might challenge gods, time itself might unravel and everything might cease making sense, but Claria would no longer bear witness to it all.” -- From Visions, posted October 25, 2001. In 1999, Origin Systems announced Ultima Online 2, later retitled Ultima Worlds Online: Origin. UO’s proposed sequel was set in an alternate Britannia, after a cataclysm caused the world’s past, present, and future to collide. While eventually cancelled in March 2001, this concept certainly resonated with some Emerald Empire’s players, especially given the role that time travel played in many of our story lines. We even discussed the possibility of creating some version of a next generation EE for this new game. Though UO2 never materialized, the appeal of an EE spin-off lingered; and in the fall of 2001, we decided it was time for something new and different. The Time Lost were fifteen characters, some related to former EE characters, who were suddenly transported from Sosaria’s past and future to the present-day of Britannia. With no knowledge of how they arrived, they appeared carrying either a clock or a ruby bracelet, and instructions from a mysterious benefactor. ‘A Friend’ was the benefactor of those bearing the clocks, while ‘The Master’ was the benefactor of those wearing ruby-bracelets. These Clocks and Bracelets, as they came to be known, were then forced to compete against one another in a series of tasks, in order to uncover the truth of their circumstances and find their way home. As the story-line progressed, it was revealed that ‘A Friend’ was the enigmatic Time Lord, while ‘the Master’ was the human reincarnation of Drakaro, an ancient dragon from EE’s background history, believed destroyed centuries ago. Drakaro had challenged the Time Lord in order to steal his power, but their conflict ended in a stalemate, so they decided to let the contest between the Clocks and Bracelets determine the victor. Originally conceived as a limited term story-line, once the Time Lost were put into play, they inevitably took on a life of their own ...
|
|
|
Post by Judas D'arc on Jul 22, 2019 23:31:50 GMT -5
Out of Character History: Part Three“ The premise behind the Fist is new, fresh, and in your face! The mind punishing multi-sourced tom-foolery will go far beyond its predecessor with a spontaneously influenced outlandish plot, which is sure to surprise, confuse, and outright offend your feeble mind." -- Player of Callisto, circa 2002. Once the Time Lost appeared on Catskills in October 2001, they instantly became part of that world and the RP community, and their interactions were as influential upon their development, if not more so, than the storyline that spawned them. Most of them settled in and around Britain, and since they were not part of a particular guild, some joined RP1’s City of Britain sub-group, serving in the Britain army, and later on, in the Chancellor of Britain’s Honor Guard. Meanwhile, a mysterious killer stalked the Time Lost, murdering a handful, while the survivors worked together (and sometimes separately) to uncover the truth behind their predicament, and find a way home. Eventually, the remaining Time Lost refused to be pawns any longer, and the contest they were forced to participate in concluded in a draw. Given a chance to return to their points of origin, most decided to remain in the present day. And ultimately, Drakaro met defeat through other means, leaving the Time Lord victorious. At the same time, a number of events involving the City of Britain, the nefarious Stower Family of Magincia, and the northern Kingdom of Winterfell soon converged and exploded violently. In the aftermath of this incident, a dozen or so individuals consisting of Time Lost, ex-members of the Chancellor’s Honor Guard, and a confessed necrophiliac became fugitives, wanted by the rest of Sosaria for crimes they most certainly committed. Comparisons to two other guilds, the disbanded Emerald Empire and the villainous Hand of Yew, led to member Jon Abbot’s naming this unlikely collection of individuals, the Emerald Fist. He also devised their unique form of punishment, ‘Fisting,’ which involved dyeing green the hair and clothing of a fallen foe. The Fist soon chose the Emerald Empire’s abandoned settlement in Spiritwood as their official headquarters, while shifting hang out spots between Britain, Haven, and eventually, Skara Brae, where they often interacted with the Rangers of Skara Brae. During the course of their nearly two years of existence, the Emerald Fist was involved in plots and conflicts with various Catskills RP guilds, while also continuing the good old EE tradition of epic story lines. We also beat up a lot of people. An ideal grouping of like-minded role-players with a sense of humor, thick skin, and a taste for in-depth character dynamics, the adventures of the 20+ players that joined the Fist often included profound themes such as: Love: Killing: Tragedy: More Killing: Comedy: And Lot And Lots Of Killing: After a couple years, a combination of factors brought an end to the Emerald Fist saga, as well as the time of most of its players in official UO: the item-based changes that came with the Age of Shadows expansion; the attrition of the RP community and player-base we had known since 1998, and the various opportunities offered on Integrity, an RP-only private shard owned and operated by one of our own, and populated by many former Catskills role-players. On December 15, 2003, the final Fist event was held, concluding our long-running Titan Seals story line with most of the group leaping into a portal to another world, in order to stop the forces of the Pagan from invading Sosaria. A rather unhappy, yet fitting ending for the group. But unfortunately, the appeal of Ultima Online RP is like a really persistent rash, or a non-fatal, incurable disease, and never goes away entirely …
|
|
|
Post by Judas D'arc on Jul 23, 2019 16:18:05 GMT -5
Out of Character History: Part Four“ Yes, and as the years continue to pass, fewer and fewer will remember, until they have faded completely into history,” said the visitor, almost passionately. “They may be gone ... but the Emerald Fist should never be forgotten.” -- From A Fist Reborn: Prologue, posted September 4, 2018. Since Integrity, our post-Catskills private shard, had ended in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the various EE and Fist players had gone their separate ways. In late 2011/early 2012, two former Emerald Fist members role-played together in official UO for the first time in more than six years. This reunion did not occur on the Catskills shard, but on the Atlantic shard, and as part of a different RP community. During the next couple of years, a new RP1 was formed, as well as a not so coincidentally named Emerald Trading Company [ETC]. Mostly new players, with an approach to role-playing that was highly reminiscent of the days of yore. The need for a change in scenery brought us back to Catskills, and over the span of a couple of other guilds, there was a revival of old/unresolved plot threads, such as the threat of the Stower family, the librarian Semidar, and the Titan Seals. Most significantly, circumstances led to the return of certain Fist characters, including a few who had sacrificed themselves at the conclusion of our final storyline in 2003. Clearly, there was only one reasonable course of action left to us -- immediately cancel our UO accounts and give up on role-playing because we were creatively bankrupt, and incapable of making anything new. Except, we were never all that reasonable, so we decided to revive the Emerald Fist. With a mix of veteran members and newer recruits, the Fist officially reformed in the summer of 2018 on the Catskills shard. Based out of their new headquarters of Emerald Town, located right outside of East Britain, this newest iteration of the group has done its best to honor the legacy of epic story lines, unique character dynamics, and possessing a sense of humor. Also, we are still beating up people. Just not as many, because Catskills is a lot smaller now. And that is how this story ends, until something momentous happens again ... Art Credit to the Player of Ezekial Roberts.
|
|
|
Post by Judas D'arc on Jul 25, 2019 15:52:57 GMT -5
Character Roster:The following details the character roster of the original Time Lost, as well as all three iterations of the Emerald Fist. The information indicated after each character’s name reflects their membership status at the time of that particular version’s end. The Time Lost: From October 2001 until Spring of 2002, the Time Lost, divided into Clocks and Bracelets, were forced to participate in the contest orchestrated by the Time Lord and Drakaro. In the end, they sabotaged the contest by working together, and earned the opportunity to enter a portal that would return each of them to their points of origin.1. Doctor Sylin Rhyas (Clock Impersonator): Active He chose to remain in present-day Britannia to take possession of the Emerald.2. Jon Abbot (Clock): Active He chose to remain in present-day Britannia.3. Bacchus (Clock): Active He chose to remain in present-day Britannia.4. Duke Edmund Brunanbur (Clock): Deceased He was slain by the assassin Podrugviati.5. Malcolm Glade (Clock): Active He chose to depart but was rejected by the portal due to the negation of his native timeline.6. Trug’clog (Clock): Active He chose to depart but was rejected by the portal because he failed to follow instructions.7. Kaylin Windsong (Clock):Active She chose to remain in present-day Britannia.8. Wilhelm Af Zolltan (Clock): Deceased He was slain by the assassin Podrugviati.9. Thalesa Cornigan (Bracelet): Inactive She departed to pursue her own path and was not present when the portal home was created.10. Dannik (Bracelet): Deceased He was slain by the assassin Podrugviati.11. Leigh D’arc (Bracelet): Active She chose to remain in present-day Britannia.12. Jackson (Bracelet): Deceased He was slain by the assassin Podrugviati.13. Ellin Lionsden (Bracelet): Active She chose to remain in present-day Britannia.14. Chanticleer Reich (Bracelet): Active He chose to remain in present-day Britannia.15. Aria Trulacci (Bracelet): Active She properly entered the portal home, though she was later summoned back against her will. The [Original] Emerald Fist: From Spring of 2002 until December 2003, the original Emerald Fist was a group of sometimes adventurers who traveled the lands of Sosaria, combating evils and authorities in equal measure. They disbanded after most of their active membership sacrificed themselves by entering a portal summoned by the evil librarian Semidar, closing it from the other side to thwart an otherworldly invasion by the Titans of Pagan.1. Sylin Rhyas (Founding Member): Resigned He returned to his original time period after fulfilling his objective and taking possession of the reforged Emerald that contained the Entity of the Emerald.2. Jon Abbot (Founding Member): Inactive He was not present for the group’s final battle.3. Bacchus (Founding Member): Presumed Deceased He was present at the group’s final battle and entered Semidar’s portal.4. Malcolm Glade (Founding Member): Active He was present at the group’s final battle but chose not to enter Semidar’s portal.5. Trug’clog (Founding Member): Deceased He was slain by the assassin Podrugviati for reneging on his agreement to betray the group.6. Kaylin Windsong (Founding Member): Inactive She was not present for the group’s final battle.7. Leigh D’arc (Founding Member): Presumed Deceased She was present at the group’s final battle and entered Semidar’s portal.8. Ellin Lionsden (Founding Member): Active She was not present for the group’s final battle.9. Chanticleer Reich (Founding Member, Leader): Presumed Deceased He was present at the group’s final battle and entered Semidar’s portal.10. Aria Trulacci: Presumed Deceased She was present at the group’s final battle and entered Semidar’s portal.11. Alec Charmeux (Founding Member): Resigned He and his wife, Adegas, retired from the group to start a family, though they remained allies.12. Adegas Tazkia (Founding Member): Resigned She and her husband, Alec, retired from the group to start a family, though they remained allies.13. Erik Kidd (Founding Member): Active He was present at the group’s final battle but chose not to enter Semidar’s portal.14. Steel (Founding Member): Resigned He departed the group a few weeks after its founding, leaving for parts unknown.15. Sanjuro (Founding Member): Inactive He was not present for the group’s final battle.16. Markus (Former Leader): Inactive He was not present for the group’s final battle.17. Annah: Resigned She left the group after her former lover Janus’ return, though she remained an ally.18. Ssin’Urn: Deceased He was slain by Stower of the Stowers while protecting Semidar and his Titan Seals research.19. Tyler: Resigned He departed the group to become a mercenary, but his first job was to steal a book for Stower of the Stower family, and he was soon sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.20. Janus: Presumed Deceased He was present at the group’s final battle and entered Semidar’s portal.21. Collan Rosvenir: Presumed Deceased He was present at the group’s final battle and entered Semidar’s portal.22. Aleron: Inactive He was not present for the group’s final battle.23. Ezekial Roberts: Presumed Deceased He was present at the group’s final battle and entered Semidar’s portal.24. Dumahbh: Presumed Deceased She was present at the group’s final battle and entered Semidar’s portal.25. Dubhlidais: Presumed Deceased She was present at the group’s final battle and entered Semidar’s portal.26. Iago: Presumed Deceased He was present at the group’s final battle and entered Semidar’s portal.The [Everywhere] Emerald Fist: This version of the Emerald Fist existed only in the Unclenched series of stories, which covered the period between the destruction of Semidar’s portal in 2003 and when former members of the group began to return to Britannia, circa April 2016. Led by the mysterious Emerald Empress, who gathered some of the surviving Time Lost in the world known as Everywhere, where they contended primarily with a war that engulfed the four kingdoms of that strange land.1. The Emerald Empress: Resigned She departed Emerald Town and Everywhere for the Britannia of the Catskills shard-world.2. Jon Abbot: Presumed Deceased According to Renthar, he was slain by the ranger Shamuno during the Everywhere War, but as was typical of Renthar, it was not the whole story. Jon lives, albeit in a different form.3. Malcolm Glade: Active He remained in Emerald Town after the Everywhere War.4. Kaylin Windsong: Presumed Deceased As witnessed by the Emerald Empress and Ellin Lionsden, she sacrificed her life to allow them to escape by engaging a horde of Britannia’s Technocrat drones during the Everywhere War.5. Ellin Lionsden: Active She remained in Emerald Town after the Everywhere War.6. Chanticleer Reich: Resigned At the climax of the Everywhere War, he was forcibly returned to the Britannia of the Catskills shard-world by the schemes of the Emerald Empress and Renthar. 7. Thalesa Cornigan: Resigned At the end of the Everywhere War, she left Emerald Town for the mysterious Tower of Song.8. Leigh D’arc: Presumed Deceased After briefly rejoining the group, she was apparently slain by the minstrel Glenna during the Everywhere War. However, due to her own foresight, she secretly survived, but her whereabouts are presently unknown. 9. Sir Conor Starfalcon: Deceased He was slain by the druid Jenna during the Companions’ assault of Emerald Town.The [Third] Emerald Fist: The version of the Emerald Fist when it was revived in August 2018. Organized by the mysterious Emerald Empress, they were based out of Emerald Town, near Britain, and were active until June 2020, after five members and allies mysteriously vanished suddenly, and were mistakenly believed to have been sent to Pagan. Following this incident, Chanticleer disbanded the group so that he could pursue them without putting anyone else at risk.1. The Emerald Empress (Founder): Resigned After sacrificing most of her memories, she was sent to Emerald Town of Everywhere for care.2. Chanticleer Reich (Leader): Active He served as leader of the Fist when he decided to disband the group.3. Bacchus: Active He was still active with the group, though not present for its disbanding.4. Adegas Tazkia: Resigned Upon receiving Renthar’s gifts, she abandoned the group and her daughter without a word.5. Ezekial Roberts: Deceased He sacrificed his life to prevent the Technocrats from slaughtering the rest of the group. 6. Dubhlidais: Active She was active with the group and present for its disbanding.7. Piper Swift: Whereabouts Unknown She was an active member of the group when she mysteriously vanished.8. Sergio Jarrett: Whereabouts Unknown He was an active member of the group when he mysteriously vanished.9. Kalanna: Whereabouts Unknown She was an active member of the group when she mysteriously vanished.10. Lia Nightbreeze: Inactive Her visits became sporadic, and she spent most of her time frolicking amongst the pixies.11. Callisto: Active She was active with the group and present for its disbanding, which she supported: “He is right. The fist is much too large for that portal. He must be as a finger to enter.”12. Edward the Churl: Inactive Following the defeat of the Technocrats, he resumed his study of the virtues at a monastery.13. Faeryl Tyra’them: Active She was active with the group and present for its disbanding.14. Sir Edgar Craigen: Inactive Prior to the disbanding, he was often preoccupied by his duties in Trinsic.15. Ariadne: Active She was active with the group and present for its disbanding. 16. Tabitha Wardwell: Active She was still active with the group, though not present for its disbanding.17. Judas: Resigned He left the group after the conflict between the Time Lord Haxley and Renthar was resolved.18. Gauf Guthvigoff: Active He was active with the group and present for its disbanding.Addendum: During this period, the Emerald Fist encountered these former members:: 1. Aria Trulacci: Alive While attempting to restore Chanticleer’s existence, the group summoned her back to Britannia, discovering that she had survived Semidar’s portal to Pagan.2. Tyler: Alive He was freed from prison by the Technocrats. After Gauf helped him face his own self-hatred, he helped the Fist unravel a complex mystery and then was returned to prison.The [Current] Emerald Fist: This is the most recent version of the Emerald Fist, reformed in or around March 2021 by Governor Chanticleer Reich of Trinsic. Headquartered in a new Emerald Town, located north of the Fens of the Dead, the group's current iteration is affiliated with the City of Honor, serving as a bulwark against the chaos that threatens to overwhelm Britannia.1. Chanticleer Reich (Leader): Active 2. Bacchus: Inactive 3. Aria Trulacci: Inactive 4. Dubhlidais: Inactive 5. Piper Swift: Active 6. Sergio Jarrett: Active 7. Kalanna: Inactive 8. Callisto: Inactive 9. Sir Edgar Craigen: Active 10. Tabitha Wardwell: Inactive 11. Gauf Guthvigoff: Active 12. Dezera Blackwell: Active 13. Lyric Stower: Inactive 14. Latifa Rolfe: Active 15. Alithea Moon: Active 16. Scaramandine II: Active
|
|