MODERATOR/ADMIN CHARACTERS-
Baron de Large- is the current Baron of Southall. He is of mixed human and alien ancestry, evinced by a limited Xarl exoskeleton over his chest and face. It offers him extra protection against attacks, and out of superstition or belief he’s tattooed his exoskeleton armor in the style of Pamala. This all gives him a strange appearance amongst mainstream humans. His mixed ancestry has also gifted him with a resplendent musculature in his youth, although now that he is into his later life he has a potbelly and his long hair is white. He is still strong and violent enough to rule Southall, as no gentle man could be the leader of the town.
De Large arose to his Baronhood after the death of the previous Baron, MacMillan. It was one of the darkest chapters of Southall’s history, wherein an organized group of brigands lived in the town for weeks in order to decide how to best attack it. The town itself was shaken to its foundations and nearly lost. MacMillan was spontaneously executed by his sec force for the crime of cowardice.
Under Baron de Large, Southall has enjoyed relative peace and growth, but at an alarming cost. While his predecessor was neurotic and craven, de Large is a bloody, clear minded tyrant. He expanded the responsibilities and powers of his security forces, to the point that any one of them can beat and arrest or even kill a citizen with little proof. When the head of the Miner’s Guild was caught shaving the crystals he gave as tribute the Baron cut off one of his arms and told the Revnik he felt like being lenient that day. The Baron is also at loggerheads with the powerful Longshore family, as he has increased their quotas of fish considerably.
By and large, the citizens of Southall tolerate this kind of behavior because de Large has also strengthened and protected the town. No previous Baron built or repaired any new fortifications or pacified the immediate area of brigands. Two nearby fortresses, notorious nests of raiders, were both attacked and cleaned out by the Baron’s special forces. There are farms outside of Southall, whose truculent families were able to extort money and privilege from the Barons of Southall due to high demand for food. De Large subjugated them and forced them into bondage, ending a centuries long tradition of the powerful farming class, and reducing them to mere slaves.
There are many who are unhappy with the Baron’s rule and yearn for the days of the gentle MacMillan, no matter what the cost.
Commander Kina- is the Baron’s chief guard in name, and his second in command and co-ruler of the town in practice. She is an old (for her people) Xarl, whose round carapace is dinted and dinged from blades sliding off of it. There is a rumor that Kina and the Baron are related somehow, due to his being part Xarl: his mother; his lover; or both. Such rumors are not spoken in either of their presences, of course.
What is clear is that the commander protects the Baron day and night, sometimes even spending the night in his bedchamber. This is a Xarl tradition, co-sleeping with family, but of course it could also mean more than sleeping is going on.
Like a great deal of Xarl, Kina is easygoing and down to earth, the polar opposite of the Baron. She has long been in the security forces of Southall, and the men she leads love her. With the fear the Baron inspires the two make quite a team.
Few have made the mistake of thinking her weak for being kind, however. Kina is a Xarl through and through. She can and has slain citizens and a few of her own men for entirely justified reasons, including Baron MacMillan, whom she helped overthrow.
The relationship between Kina and her Baron is growing increasingly tense. They are still close but she is frustrated at how many enemies his rule is making him.
Gyron Longshore- is the patriarch of the Longshores, the powerful family that controls the fishing and the lake around Southall. Much like Baron de Large, Longshore is a self-made man. When he was born 70 years ago a handful of families managed to eke out a miserable existence yanking scrawny fish out of the silt water of the lake. Through means friendly and deadly he united the fishermen and became their leader. Longshore has been blessed with a multitude of children, and his sons and sons in law have become his enforcers.
Not all of Longshore’s tactics have been arm breaking, however. He has as many daughters as he does sons, and the formerly spat upon folk who lived on the waterfront of the Residential District have all become his people, regardless of their last name. Longshore meets regularly with the Baron, with whom he has a tense relationship. De Large needs Longshore for the fish his people produce; Longshore needs de Large for protection. Of all of the groups in Southall, de Large cuts the Longshores the most slack.
Aa’Lew- is the Revnik leader of the Miner’s Guild. Oddly for his race, he is a very low key and subtle leader. He focuses his considerable intelligence on organization and planning, as opposed to flaunting his intellect. He is by far the richest man in Southall; his wealth even surpasses that of the Baron. There is considerable strain between the two, as Aa’Lew was previously caught hoarding crystal shavings and lost an arm for it. On the surface they are amicable, but ire simmers below the surface on both sides.
T’Juntha- is the hardened Aaloki leader of the Talons of Pamala, a fearsome gang of brigands. A very religious man, T’Juntha sports Pamala body art and is a leader Aaloki. Like a great deal of his people and in particular the Talons, T’Juntha is very religious. He fights as a brigand to honor Pamala with sacrifices, for some measure of security for his people, and for sport. He is a paranoid, dangerous man.
STORYLINES-
Longshore vs Baron Kina vs Baron Farmer slaves vs Baron/Southall Talons vs Baron/Southall Usurper to the throne? Terrorist org? Rebirth of the Jade Queen? Brigand raid War rekindling?
Setting Essentials-
Mystery of Tetralon is a science fiction, forum based role playing game. Players inhabit the planet of Tetralon, a world once fought over by two mighty empires. The years of conflict abruptly ceased 500 years ago. The result of no longer being supplied by either of the two occupying powers has turned Tetralon into a dangerous place, with little in the way of laws, technology or creature comforts. The descendants of the original colonists and soldiers struggle for resources, power, and some semblance of a normal life.
The action in Mystery of Tetralon is mostly focused on the former capital city and primary military base, Sergeant Major Southall’s Town. The notorious Baron de Large rules with an iron fist in Southall. The government is highly xenophobic towards aliens, considering anyone who isn’t full blood human a second class citizen. Not that the Baron’s security forces treat the human citizens much better. All are subject to the Baron’s dictatorial powers.
It is a gritty and brutal place to make a living. But compared to the war scarred remains of the rest of the planet, Southall is an oasis of turbulent calm.
Outside of town, there are few settlements, none of them safe. Radiation has destroyed and mutated much of the planet’s plant and animal life, including sentient beings. Tetralon is choked with lush vegetation, sweeping deserts, ruins, and fortresses. Brigands scour the wastes, preying upon any travelers or scavengers foolhardy enough to venture beyond Southall’s protective walls. Mutants, both human and alien, haunt ruins and wilderness, in search of prey, most of it sentient. Nonetheless, there are rumors of fantastic treasure abounding on Tetralon, spurring a great deal of exploration into the wastes surrounding town for technology and weapons. The brigands and the mutants have no lack of fresh meat.
Traveling via vehicles is limited on Tetralon, and it is unheard of for anyone to arrive or leave the planet. There is a dense debris field surrounding the planet, a remnant of the War. It prevents ships from traversing to the planet.
Overall, citizens of Southall consider themselves lucky in that they do not have to fight for their lives against mutants or brigands, even if they are chafing under Baron de Large. Aliens flock to Southall en masse for protection, although they are spat upon once they arrive.
Life is very hard, but it is still life.