Calm Before the Storm

Calm Before the Storm was a thread started by Mraize on April 26, 2018, and concluded on May 16. It is considered Phase 1 of the Guild War.

## Origins

The thread was begun just after Mraize announced the dissolution of the Ghostbloods, and the formation of the Rogues, and chronicles the ramping tensions at the beginning of the Guild War. Mraize started it after they expressed concern that many people in the Alleyverse weren’t used to the FFRP format. The thread was therefore a sort of experiment, seeing how a community-moderated RP would go without a mediator to dictate the outcomes of combat.[1]

## Events

The thread mostly follows the remains of the recently fractured Ghostbloods pursuing their own goals. Rhaizen (Mraize), their former leader, who had recently dissolved the group, contacts a number of characters around the Alleyvillage, attempting to gain more Investiture. Nei’an (Gancho Libre) and Septimus (Blazenella) tried to form a splinter group that continued in the Ghostblood’s footsteps, against Rhaizen’s wishes. This group became the New Ghostbloods. Septimus laments that only 5 members of the original guild moved to their side.

The first character Rhaizen contacts is a piece of Voidus that is contained Hemalurgically within a rock. Rhaizen asks for two Hemalurgic spikes - Voidus originally rejects the offer, but is convinced, and grants Rhaizen a dark grey spike and a brass spike. Rhaizen uses both of them, along with a bronze spike that he had prepared earlier. His next goal is to convince Mac (MacThorstenson) to teach him to access the Dor. Like Voidus, Mac turns him down, but Rhaizen eventually convinced him to lend a sheet of papers with basic Aons drawn on them, and a few instructions on how to use them. Rhaizen then goes to find Fifth of the Night (Life&Death) who can supposedly lend him an Aviar, and reveals his plan to Septimus: he is gathering Investiture for the ‘coming storm’, a reference to the brewing guild war. He notes that he plans to get an Aviar from Night, unkeyed metalminds from Mace Klasten (Archer) and to learn ChayShan from Kane (BitBitio). At a later time, he also reveals that it is all “to help people” and that it is the “only way”.

Rhaizen gets some tattoos of Aons and tries out his new Allomantic abilities, which he gained through the Hemalurgic spikes. Mac is surprised by his level of skill. He then meets with Nei’an and Septimus in the Alleyvillage Inn, waiting for Mace to arrive. Rhaizen proposes a new alliance between the three, despite the dissolution of the Ghostbloods and the end of their guild. Nei’an immediately turns him down, stating that he had broken their alliance, and if he met Rhaizen again he would kill him. (Nei’an describes how Klaw is converted in armor after it had been ‘killed’ during his Challenge of Champions duel.)

When Mace does arrive, he gives Rhaizen two unkeyed metalminds: copper and ?. In exchange, Rhaizen tells Mace that there is a mole in the TUBA ranks. Rhaizen then goes to Fifth of the Night’s shop, leaving Septimus and Nei’an, and asks to buy an Aviar. Night says that obtaining one is difficult, but not impossible.

Septimus receives word of Rhaizen’s ultimate plan - to reforge the Ghostbloods and to purge the new splinter faction. He and Nei’an preemptively attack Rhaizen in Night’s shop. Mace gives and exploding monkey in a bag to Rhaizen as assistance, but the bag is quickly stolen off of him and Septimus covers it in rock in an effort to contain the blast. Rhaizen Elsecalls away as the building begins to collapse, bringing Mace with him to the Cognitive Realm. Soul (Life&Death) arrives and kills Night.

Akrasia (The Forgetful Archivist) enters the building, hoping to join the fray, but is crushed as it collapses. Rhaizen rescues him and brings him to the Cognitive Realm with Mace. The monkey explodes, destroying Night’s shop and sending animals flying everywhere. Rhaizen returns with Mace and Akrasia and challenges his opponents, saying that it would be a mistake to fight him. Akrasia is beginning to get driven into a frenzy. Septimus manages to launch them all away and follows Rhaizen, trapping him within the rock and attacking him with F-Steel. Mace flees the scene, and Lopen (LopenTheTwoArmedHerdazian) arrives, rescuing Voidus' Rock. Akrasia wakes, having been knocked unconscious, and attempts to help Rhaizen, but is trapped by Septimus as well. Rhaizen reveals that the person Septimus had been attacking was an illusion, using Pailah’s Honorblade that he had stolen from the Ghostblood stores. The others try to attack the real Rhaizen, with more characters arriving to the battle. Drako He’Stan (Grey Knight) summons a space marine army to assist in defeating Rhaizen, and Tevarah (Jehoida) helps take it down. Kalmar (Kidpen) is killed during the fighting.

Lopen helps the Voidus rock Hemalurgically inhabit a Lifeless, and the rock anxiously tries out its new body. [Voidus talks about rock origins on p13.] The battle continues, with Rhaizen taking the advantage, but it is cut short when a group of Dakhor monks arrive and kidnap Rhaizen. Septimus vows revenge on Rhaizen and promises to follow him to Sel, after visiting Taldain for an unspecified reason. Voidus Prime arrives and begins to repair the Realmatic damage caused by the use of the Dor throughout the fight. The area in which the battle took place has been completely decimated.

Overall, the thread was a success, as a sort of practice for the newer members of the communist and a way to experiment with combat in the FFRP format. The thread began to lose its way over the last few pages, descending into nonsensical mayhem, and had to be cut short, but it was still enjoyable (check TotH poll? -Meta) and served to further the plot regarding the Alleyverse. A number of smaller stories also took place during the thread, including a race between Rashan (ITIAH) and Esha (Leyrann) that was never fully concluded.[1]

## Participants

* Rhaizen (Mraize)
* Nei’an (Gancho Libre)
* Septimus (Blazenella)
* Akrasia (The Forgetful Archivist)
* Drako He’Stan (Grey Knight)
* Kalmar (Kidpen)
* Rashan (ITIAH)
* Esha (Leyrann)
* KoTiel (kenod)
* Rend (ElephantEarwax)
* Voidus
* Soul (Life&Death)
* Fifth of the Night (Life&Death)
* Dwig Jigdens
* Mac (MacThorstenson)
* Tevarah (Jehoida)
* Mace Klasten (Archer)
* Lopen (LopenTheTwoArmedHerdazian)
* Aaric (EddyJ)