Crater Bay - A New Frontier in Eclipse Roleplaying

[Syban]

A desolate ghost town on the edge of the galactic frontier. An inhospitable place where sulfuric fumes from the nearby toxic lake make day to day life a struggle, and only the galaxy’s roughest sort can survive.

Hiding in narrow dirt alleys and in the shadows of rusted vaporators, the outcasts of the Core Worlds lurk—desperate crater miners, shifty con-artists, fugitive rebel operatives, profiteering smugglers, gamblers, gunfighters and violent outlaws. Scum of all color and creed, eager to avoid the attentions of the Empire and civilized society.

Stranded among these seedy beings are innocent castaways, lost travelers, and luckless prospectors unable to hack out better lives anywhere else. Carrying only memories and a few belongings, they cling to survival and keep their heads down as criminals trade blaster fire in the dusty street.

Built on the backs of miners chasing the booming Vulkanium trade, the remote town of Crater Bay on the planet Lok is little different than thousands of other deep-core mining outposts in the Outer Rim, with one exception: In the last six months, this sulfur-stinking town has begun churning out massive quantities of the rare, blaster-resistant metal Vulkanium, usually mined only in deep space from moving comets. Quickly profiting from a brisk trade in the rare metal, Crater Bay’s illegal mining operations have suddenly drawn the eye of organized crime, the legitimate mining guild, and hundreds of profit-hungry prospectors galaxy wide.

Despite the sudden boom in ore trade here, CraterBay is in the grip of chaos. Many of the miners, driven from the caves and craters by a notorious kimogila known as “Ol’ Dune Jaw”, are on strike and demanding higher pay, and protection. Ore pirates, bandits and space-raiders steal half of what comes out of the ground. The rebel alliance and Princess Leia herself have set up a small enclave on an island in the toxic lake, and desperately work against the Empire from afar. And the settlement has recently fallen into the hands of a brutal retired hitman, eager to give up his deadly profession and bleed the mining outpost dry.

Many galactic adventurers have braved this desolate outpost in search of fortune, fame, or just a good fight. Will you be next?

Out of character details: Crater Bay is a new RP community just getting off the ground on Lok, and created by the same people that originated the deadly Black Hole Gang. We welcome serious and mature RPers who are willing to roleplay in a seedy, dangerous environment. The population of Crater Bay is mostly miners and scum, with a contingent of rebels mixed in as well (like the lowlifes in town, the Alliance enjoys the remoteness of this small outpost). The Empire is a distant threat here, though future stories will incorporate them as a looming menace.

Features: True immersive RP in a Star Wars environment, with running plotlines to be introduced roughly each week, and incorporating as many players/characters as possible. Periodically, events will be run here utilizing the amazing services of the SWG Live Events team--meaning "celebrity" cameos, unexpected creature attacks and the like are always possible. Finally, NPC characters will be added in the coming weeks to provide side missions, town gossip, plotline hooks, etc. In addition, a Crater Bay webpage is in the works down the road.

Rules: The roleplay here demands that you be willing to PvP on ocassion---even if your character is a simple crafter or entertainer. For in a dangerous town, sometimes innocents get hurt. There is no "time out" in true immersive RP, so be prepared to defend yourself if you offend some quick-tempered alien scum.

Jedi: Since we're trying to remain as authentic to Star Wars continuity as possible, players who RP Jedi are forbidden. At this point in the film timeline, only Luke, Yoda, Darth Vader and the Emperor were living jedi. However, if you can come up with a reasonable explanation why your character / species might have one or two innate force abilities (for example, a nightsister), then a few exceptions can be made. Lightsabers, however, are strictly disallowed.

Finally, respect your fellow RPers and have fun! Even if we're at each other's throats "in character" doesn't mean we're not friends "out of character"!

For further details, contact 'Savrip' Scarn in-game via tell or e-mail!

'Savrip' Scarn,

retired hitman and mayor of Crater Bay, Waypoint -4760 3164 Lok

Ooooh sounds like a great opportunity for ITC to get involved in. Need to make 'trade' connections in this town I think!

Victory and Honor,

Syban Ferin-Sha

[Dement]

this sounds like a lot of fun

[Jadeynn]

OOOooo OOooo

[Syban]

((RP Summary))

"Come to Crater Bay" all the deep-space ore miners said, touting the easy fortunes, the absence of law, the freedom to do whatever the sith you wanted. "There's enough Vulkanium in these hills to make you richer than a Hutt!"

But no one said anything about roaming, one-eyed kimogilas bigger than a shuttle, about ore pirates... or about cave-ins.

A new vein, untapped and as much as three hundred yards deep, had been scanned from orbit by one of the "mayor"s prospectors--a deposit of Vulkanium with purity the surveyor had never seen. Nestled deep in one of the more hazardous mining sites, it wouldn't be easy to tap. But Savrip Scarn, the half-sakiyan hitman who ruled Crater Bay with a snarl and a hand on his holster, was never a being known for his patience, or his concern over worker safety. Eager to test such a rich deposit, he assembled a small crew of miners, smugglers and shippers to make the journey down the sulphur river from Crater Bay.

At a glance, the roughshod crew looked as likely to wipe each other out as work together. Two Black Sun agents, the Vigo Diabound and his henchman Koruni, posing as Crater Miners to get access to Scarn's fabled Vulkanium, bickered with each other and everyone else, carting demolition charges that could turn their bulky landspeeder transports into atoms at the slightest lurch. Skysco, a towering trandoshan smuggler with a dry wit and allegiances to the Black Hole Gang, was along for the purpose of taking the ore out of orbit and keeping the shipment quiet. With him was Mirandith, a quiet tyl with a rifle that spoke volumes. Finally, driving the heavy landspeeder transports were two deepspace shippers, folks used to rough living and rougher associates. Rajani Ch'haya, a human woman strong as a snorbal and packing the deepest conscience in the group, and Praz', her zabrak business partner.

Site C was an arid pit in the face of Lok---a dig site started by archaeologists eager to unearth lost relics, and overtaken shortly after by surly, violent miners when they heard Vulkanium had been struck there.

Savrip's crew descended into these caves, armed and carrying filtered breathing helmets should the vapors in the mines become toxic. Amid the din of vibro-picks, laser drills and miners' surly cursing, the seven-person crew marched deeper and deeper into the abyssal hole.

The deposits had been found when a shelf of rock had slid free, revealing a handful of black, gleaming veins of ore that jutted from the cave wall. Gathering on a natural stone bridge deep in the mine, Savrip's crew gazed out at it---more wealth than a sentient being could use was buried in that stone, and almost every one of them gathered there had a different purpose in mind for it. While Koruni and Skysco remained on the stone bridge to set up the blasting charges, the others descended deeper into the caves for a look around.

But good fortune has a way of turning into calamity, just as you reach to grab it.

High above, near the surface of Lok, Savrip's keen sakiyan ears heard a muted impact---something had struck the ground with explosive force. Within moments, the unstable cave began to shudder and groan, and great sheafs of jagged rock cascaded down around them. The delicate explosive charges went up in a thunderous explosion, rocking the stone bridge and reducing it to rubble. Ducking falling boulders and clinging to anything that wasn't shaking apart, the crew managed to survive---some like Koruni gravely injured, others merely shaken or battered. As the dust settled, a dreadful weight sank upon them... the bridge between them and the distant mine entrance was a memory, and Savrip's sensitive nose could no longer detect a source of fresh air. They were trapped.

Tempers flared as rescues were made, boulders were lifted, and the barest of medical treatment applied to keep the wounded stable. Miners howled in pain in distant caves, many buried or crushed. And the already unstable cavern now leaked Vulkanium fumes from gaps in the rock, a toxic haze that could kill a man or woman in minutes. A volatile and flammable gas, the poisonous fumes kept them moving---and kept their blasters in their holsters when several 'disagreements' nearly ended in violence.

Making a desperate bid for escape, they plunged deeper into the mine in hopes of reaching an old freight lift once used by the original archaeologists to transport any relics they found to the surface. Savrip's broken leg and ornery attitude made the going slow, as he refused help at every step. Koruni, badly injured after falling from the stone bridge, seemed ready to give up and succumb to his pain (or his flaring anger) as a loading droid carted him along. Diabound prodded them onward, slowly realizing as the toxic fumes grew more powerful, that the air filters in his helmet had been damaged and the gas was getting to him. Praz' the feisty zabrak stayed the course, despite several near-violent outbursts between he and Koruni. Mirandith, blessed with uncanny luck, had emerged without a scratch and watched Skysco warily, sensing the wounds he kept hidden from her. Holding everyone steady was Rajani, who's innate strength and determination to get everyone out alive kept the frayed crew together.

Braving collapsing spans of rock, choking fumes, faulty machinery and caverns filled with the neon-red glow of reactive Vulkanium gas, they reached the freight lift. In a struggle to repair the antique machinery, a shower of sparks lit the Vulkanium gas swirling around them and a fiery explosion sent them all reeling. As the cavern began it's final collapse and great ledges of rock fell away into the void beneath them, each among them had their lives saved by another, and the freight lift finally rocketed to the surface on a blooming cloud of exploding fumes.

The survivors limped back to Crater Bay in their landspeeder transports, nursing their injuries. But Scarn's mind was consumed with only one thought as his slitted pupils scanned the arid landscape: What caused the impact that buried his mine?

Recent events in Crater Bay...

[Syban]

((RP Update - Imperial Eyes Only))

Lieutenant Napin couldn't help but stare at his reflection in the bulbous eye of a passing black droid, waddling stiffly toward its destination. He considered himself a handsome man, dashing in his crisp gray uniform, and he wondered idly about his next shore-leave conquest. Alien women had such a weakness for Imperial uniforms, fawning and bowing and averting their eyes out of admiration or fear. It was a weakness Napin had learned to exploit.

The intelligence report held under his arm was a distant nuisance of a thought--a minor matter, easily discharged. At the moment he was more concerned about the high shine of his polished black boots, and noted a slight smudge on the left toe as he marched down the corridor past naval servicemen in jumpsuits and convex black helmets.

Drawing up to a sealed door, he knocked once out of respect before pressing the switch to open it.

Admiral Musso, seated opposite the door behind a long metal table, glanced up slowly from his meal. His face was lean and sharp as a slice hound's, his beard and receding hair the same battleship gray as the hull of the Star Destroyer he commanded. Though his mouth was full, a predatory glint in his pale eyes spoke volumes: "This had better be good."

Soft classical music played from an unseen speaker, the only sound as Napin swallowed hard, feeling the admiral's eyes bore into him. No one had said it was his dinner time.

Saluting briskly, Napin took a tentative step forward and allowed the door to hiss shut behind him.

"My apologies for the interruption sir, but I have a report--"

Admiral Musso chewed once, then spoke over the Lieutenant in a voice calloused by years of battle.

"Have rebels boarded the ship, Lieutenant?"

Napin stiffened and raised an eyebrow, utterly dumbstruck.

"No sir."

"Has Lord Vader arrived for a personal inspection, then?" the Admiral asked around a mouthful of tender steak, returning his steely gaze to the plate.

"No... no, Admiral."

Musso's eyes came up again slowly as he reached for a glass of deep red portwine, and his face hardened into an icy mask of displeasure.

"Then explain to me in great detail why you'd have the gall to strut into my personal quarters without an invitation."

Napin felt a few tiny droplets of sweat bead up on his forehead, and cleared his throat.

"A report, sir," he stammered, "regarding a... a misplaced probe droid, sir."

The Admiral's voice was sharper than a knife.

"You saw fit to interrupt my dinner over a lost droid?"

Napin blanched to a pasty white, and hastily went on.

"The probe was intended to search for smuggling vessels along a trade lane in the Tatoo system, Admiral. But it... veered."

"Veered?"

Napin managed a weak grin. "Yes Admiral. It strayed off course, into the Karthakk system. A targeting error, I believe."

Musso grunted and stabbed his fork into a succulent piece of steak, pausing as he lifted it to his mouth.

"See to it that the crewman responsible is properly disciplined. A re-assignment to front turret duty on Dathomir should improve his aim."

The lieutenant's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded. "There's something else, sir."

Musso took a long sip of his wine and waited for the anxious officer to go on.

"It... the droid made planetfall on an inhospitable world in the Karthakk system. The trajectory was unsuitable for a proper landing, and it hit the atmosphere with... considerable speed. Amazing that it wasn't destroyed on impact, but the casing held and the droid survived, though damaged."

"And?"

"And it found something, sir. This planet...", Napin scanned the report before going on, "Lok. It's atmosphere is laced with noxious gases and heavy metals, making transmission by the droid almost impossible. But before we lost its signal, we managed to grab a... fragment."

Musso exhaled heavily, setting his glass and fork down and looking up at the stammering lieutenant.

"Did you know that Keemwi meat stays fresh for only nine hours, lieutenant?"

Napin blinked. "Sir?"

"Keemwi meat. It's a delicacy, cultivated on the planet below us. People around the galaxy come from light years away to sample it, because it's impossible to preserve for more than nine hours once the animal has died. Something about the indigenous bacteria."

"In less than nineteen minutes this vessel will be leaving synchronous orbit to begin a deep space survey sweep, Lieutenant. And while you stand there sweating through your uniform, my last steak is getting cold."

Napin gulped and spit the words out: "Rebels, sir"

Admiral Musso blinked once and pushed his plate away, eyes sharpening as his attention came into focus.

"Speak quickly, Lieutenant."

"It was only a fragment sir, but the damaged droid relayed a code indicating it had sighted a considerable rebel presence. It might be malfunctioning, but images showed definite life, sir. We won't know more until we find it and pull it's data tapes."

Reclining back in his chair, the admiral sucked at a bit of meat between his teeth and tapped his fingers on the tabletop. "Relay a priority communication to the Tatoo system. There's an elite unit that did some work culling smugglers and criminals on Tatooine, well-accustomed to search ops in an arid environment. Imperial Storm, under the command of Major Pandorren Blackheart. Their orders are to locate your rogue probe droid, find out what it knows, and sweep the area for signs of this rebel presence. Engage only if necessary."

Napin nodded crisply.

"I want this matter classified, Lieutenant. Clearance Alpha Twelve access only. I don't want that gloryhound General Versatti at Imperial High Command catching wind and trying to poach these insurgents from me. I hear he's on the warpath for another promotion."

"Of course sir."

Musso swiveled in his chair and stared out a large circular viewport at the velvety stars and the luminous planet below.

"Dismissed, Lieutenant."

Napin hastily exited the Admiral's quarters and strode fast down the corridor, all thought of his boots or his shore-leave forgotten in a wash of relief.

((OOC RP Update: This assignment can be undertaken by IMPs (Imperial Storm) under the command and jurisdiction of Pandorren Blackheart, or by IHC (Imperial High Command) under the authority of General Versatti. Pandorren receives the orders directly from Admiral Musso's command ship, but it can be assumed that General Versatti's own sources at Imperial Intelligence might tip him off to the potential rebel threat as well.))

((Rules: Beginning tomorrow, both parties will be sent the last-known coordinates of the probe droid's landing (waypoint), and can search for the damaged droid from there. It will always be within 2k meters of that landing spot, as long as 'Savrip' is online. If one group or the other (working separately or together) manages to locate the droid, send me a tell or e-mail and the story will proceed from there.))

((Finally, any rebel RPers, rebel PAs, etc. that wish to take part in this plotline, let me know via PM, tell or e-mail! We have plenty of scum in Crater Bay, but we're still a bit short on fugitive freedom-fighters! ))

And a RPing hook...

[Sei Teirson]

Why not any Jedi .. Jedi were in hidding .. not all killed, wow, they need to read up on SW a little more .

Just my opinion though I guess, but couldnt a Jedi have excaped the massacre and is hidding out looking for other Jedi that may have survived as well, or force adept's that he can train and create a army of sorts . .. no imagination

Great for everyone else though .. have fun.. although I may need to crash the party!

[Syban]

"Begin transcription, Lieutenant. Priority orders to Imperial Storm, attention Major Pandorren Black--"

Napin chimed in, "Colonel Blackheart, sir. He's a..."

The lieutenant's sharp features went slack as Admiral Musso carved into him with his icy eyes.

Napin swallowed hard, returned his glance to his sleek datapad and nodded once. The operational hum of comm-traffic, clanking boots and crisp voices was a comforting backdrop on the bridge of the Star Destroyer. Before him, Admiral Musso stood framed by a triangular viewport, his steel-gray hair and uniform in stark contrast to the inky cosmos beyond.

"Having reviewed your report on said unauthorized mining facility, and the skirmish arising from conflict with the 'locals', I find your operational efficiency to be somewhat lacking. Frankly, I would not have believed the same unit responsible for quelling the attack on prison barge Repentant would allow themselves to be driven from a collection of shacks and lean-tos by common rabble."

"Equally disappointing is your timing. My sources at ISB inform me that General Versatti's thuggery has borne fruit. Unfortunately, the particulars of the rebel threat he discovered and the information he gathered after razing their island enclave is beyond even my ability to pull strings. Suffice to say this coup should have been mine, and I'm holding you and your unit personally responsible."

Napin dutifully clicked away at his datapad.

"Your adherence to your duty as a peacekeeper is admirable, Colonel Blackheart. However, I do not share your concern about bottom-feeding scum and criminals that do not salute the rebel flag. Simply put, executing lawless smugglers and miners who fail to present permits does not earn one accolades befitting the rank of Admiral. Rebels, Colonel. Executing rebels is far more glamourous."

Musso paused as a deck officer approached, presenting an order requirng the Admiral's signature.

Napin resumed typing as the rawboned admiral's rough voice spoke up again. His tone was precise, though disinterested.

"That being said, the Empire's resources are stretched thin in the Outer Rim. Securing a new source of valuable ore could be advantageous to our war efforts in that region. You are ordered to begin a joint operation with the Imperial Trade Consortium to assess the value of this installation, and catalogue the abundance and quality of raw mineral ore to be harvested there. The Imperial Trade Consortium has extensive survey and mundane accounting experience, and will be well-suited to establish a discreet base of operations from which to conduct these surveys. Report to Syban Ferrin at your earliest convenience..."

Admiral Musso's face pinched into a hard expression of disgust as he reviewed a personnel file on Napin's sleek datapad.

"A mon calamari?" he grunted, seeing Ferrin's holo-image appear.

Trying to match Musso's sneer, the obsequious Lieutenant nodded.

"Disgusting. Those amphibious abominations are so far down the evolutionary ladder it repulses me that the Empire would allow one to wear a uniform. Look at it---it barely crawled out of the primordial soup!"

Napin stifled a laugh behind his hand, nodding. "Yes sir."

Musso cleared his throat before finishing.

"You and your unit are to provide any security required by ITC until such a time as their data has been collected and confirmed. You have your orders Colonel Blackheart---see to it they are executed with all due expediency this time."

Napin closed the file and punched the command to transmit the orders on a secure frequency to Imperial Storm's command post on Dantooine. Folding the sleek datapad under his arm efficiently, he suddenly noticed that the deck officer and Admiral Musso were staring at him.

He felt as if the bridge's atmospheric settings suddenly dropped twenty degrees.

"Sir?"

Admiral Musso nodded to the deck officer, who took his signed orders and paced away quickly---offering Napin a downward, pitying glance as he left.

Musso stared down his sharp nose at the anxious lieutenant.

"General Versatti's bootlick at Imperial Intelligence intercepted my last orders with astounding ease, Lieutenant Napin."

Napin stammered, "Sir, you know my loyalty is to you--"

Cutting him off with a peremptory wave of his hand, Musso spoke in a casual tone.

"Of that I have no doubt. No, this was a matter of simple incompetence. But I'm confident your reassignment to mine-sweeping duty on Yavin IV will sharpen your attention to detail. I understand the rebels left behind... numerous unpleasant surprises for our ground troops before vacating the ruins there."

"Dismissed, Lieutenant."

((RP update: IMPs and ITC should meet and confer with each other in-character about how they'd like to approach this "subtle" occupation---ideally, ITC will bring members of their trade unit in undercover or in civilian gear to probe the outpost's value, while IMPs can provide any violent gunplay or security they might need. Any members of either unit/guild that would like to set up a residence for this purpose, that can be arranged as well! If you like, I can have Admiral Musso or another officer stand in on the initial meeting to steer it----let me know via PM or tell in-game! Good luck and have fun!))

The ball is rolling everyone it's time to join in on the fun!