Bradley Bain - K♥ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
perfectpower) wrote2024-05-12 10:17 pm
perfectpower) wrote2024-05-12 10:17 pm
PSL (private)
[It's a sleepy planet in the far off reaches of space, one that doesn't even have an official designation yet due to its recent discovery. The people of that planet haven't even developed wide-use electricity yet, much less space travel, so until recently they had been largely ignorant of the politics of space. Aeons, paths, the different factions, it's all very new to the residents of this world. And given their own internal politics, many are reluctant to embrace the stars.
On its own, this planet is rather unassuming. One large continent broken up into 5 distinct countries, along with several chains of islands spread out in the water. There are a few small religions worshipping various gods, but most people just respect the spirits of nature and have a healthy fear of the magic-users that live among them. Thanks to all the magic, technological advancements are slower than usual. Why develop lighting systems when someone can just summon a ball of light? Of course, 'slower' doesn't mean 'stopped'. Eventually this planet would have developed into a more modern society, given a few more centuries. But the sudden appearance of the IPC is sure to jumpstart that.
Why are the IPC here? Well at first it was just a small task force making contact with a previously-dark planet. They do probes like this often, trying to find out if there's anything useful on the planet or if the people are worth bringing into the modern galaxy. It was pretty close to being a write-off, just a stamp of "wait a couple centuries and see what they do", and the planet would have been left alone entirely. But on the last day of evaluation, one of the members of the task force made a discovery that shook the team to its core.
Mana stones.
They didn't know where they came from. Any witch or wizard who they talked to wouldn't reveal their sources for these stones. But mana stones were used to boost the magical ability of a witch or wizard, and to a frightening degree.
One of the task force members put a mana stone the size of their thumb into their ship's energy source. It powered the entire ship for a month.
The promise of a new, compact energy source is too tempting. How could the IPC not jump at this chance? After all, the only ones even using the mana stones were witches and wizards, and they were outnumbered by humans a thousand to one. Powerful as they may be, it would be easy to get the people of this backwater planet to make a deal that would benefit the IPC greatly.
Which is why, at the current time, Aventurine has been sent to this planet. For diplomatic purposes, of course, these things go better if a contract is signed and people agree willingly. Who else would be better to sweet-talk the king and the wizard-prince into making this deal than the IPC's very own gambler?]
On its own, this planet is rather unassuming. One large continent broken up into 5 distinct countries, along with several chains of islands spread out in the water. There are a few small religions worshipping various gods, but most people just respect the spirits of nature and have a healthy fear of the magic-users that live among them. Thanks to all the magic, technological advancements are slower than usual. Why develop lighting systems when someone can just summon a ball of light? Of course, 'slower' doesn't mean 'stopped'. Eventually this planet would have developed into a more modern society, given a few more centuries. But the sudden appearance of the IPC is sure to jumpstart that.
Why are the IPC here? Well at first it was just a small task force making contact with a previously-dark planet. They do probes like this often, trying to find out if there's anything useful on the planet or if the people are worth bringing into the modern galaxy. It was pretty close to being a write-off, just a stamp of "wait a couple centuries and see what they do", and the planet would have been left alone entirely. But on the last day of evaluation, one of the members of the task force made a discovery that shook the team to its core.
Mana stones.
They didn't know where they came from. Any witch or wizard who they talked to wouldn't reveal their sources for these stones. But mana stones were used to boost the magical ability of a witch or wizard, and to a frightening degree.
One of the task force members put a mana stone the size of their thumb into their ship's energy source. It powered the entire ship for a month.
The promise of a new, compact energy source is too tempting. How could the IPC not jump at this chance? After all, the only ones even using the mana stones were witches and wizards, and they were outnumbered by humans a thousand to one. Powerful as they may be, it would be easy to get the people of this backwater planet to make a deal that would benefit the IPC greatly.
Which is why, at the current time, Aventurine has been sent to this planet. For diplomatic purposes, of course, these things go better if a contract is signed and people agree willingly. Who else would be better to sweet-talk the king and the wizard-prince into making this deal than the IPC's very own gambler?]
No worries! I too disappear for long bits of time
[Hang on tight, Aventurine, because Bradley is steering the broom to fly closer. The gears keep turning, and the head of this monster turns ever so slowly to follow the pair as they zip around. Definitely some kind of conscious being, and it seems to be waiting for something.
Brad's keen eyes watch for any changes in the monster's behavior, but so far it seems to be staying still. Hmm.
Eventually, after a couple passes around, Brad pulls back and leaves the two of them hovering in the air at about eye-level compared to the monster.]
Something smells fishy. Usually these things start attacking as soon as anyone shows up.