Welcome Adventures,
to Character chat. In this article I’ll be talking with
characters from newly released and soon to be released books. Today’s
guest is Copernicus Gallows from Soulbright.
Welcome, so tell my
adventurers about your world.
Impworld was the
universe's most popular virtual reality sword and sorcery game.
GameComm basically terraformed a continent of an alien world and made
it look exactly like Impworld, right down to the lowest bugbear
infested dungeon. It's all there. Biological robots play the part of
dragons and ogres while nanite clouds provide the magical effects of
the game. They call the live action role play version of the game
Otherworld. I’m one of the lucky few chosen to play the game live
and in-person in its inaugural run. There are millions of cameras
embedded into the architecture so that viewers back home in the Sol
system can watch the livecasts. They didn't exactly get all of the
indigenous alien lifeforms off the continent, but they assure us that
the game is safe enough.
Me? I get a little
suspicious when somebody tells me that everything is under control. I
mean, yes, they were smart enough to only attempt one of the
continents of Impworld. The story is that a planar shift occurred at
the end of the Mage War, transplanting the continent of Wanjur from
the planet Obsidius to this planet. Even so, the idea that GameComm
can monitor an entire continent when we live in a universe where we
can't even guarantee the safety of a shopping mall… Tell me you
heard about that terrorist attack on the Luis Montalvo shopping
center? Well, this is a whole lot more property to keep secure than a
shopping center, I can tell you that.
That planar shift
was a big deal. It changed more than our location. It changed the way
some creatures look. It changed our understanding of our place in the
universe. We now know that there are other realities. There's a
reality where Wanjur remains a part of Obsidius. I understand that
there's even a reality where all of this is nothing more than a
bard's tale printed and bound and collecting dust on some bookshelf.
What are some of the
places you’d recommend my adventurers see in your world?
I'm pretty sure
you’re asking the wrong guy here. I’ll be honest with you. I
usually just tell people to visit Cabon Gabrielle, the fabled City of
Shields. It's an easy win. Take in a sunset from Seneschal Tower.
Stroll the endless bookshelves of the Great Library. And, of course,
don’t forget to visit the famed Lonely Ogre Inn, the place where
more Adventures have begun and ended since Impworld began. But that’s
just a standard line I give people because that's what they want to
hear. I'm not really here on vacation. You really should ask someone
else about the touristy stuff.
In my line of work,
I generally see some of the worst places. The places you should
probably avoid at all costs. I'm a monster hunter. A vampyre slayer.
THE vampyre slayer, to be exact. I'm the keeper of the Cross of Van
Helsing and heir to the lost Hammer of Reeves. I'm on a quest to find
the shards of Soulbright, an artifact that can turn a vampyre into a
mortal. I intend to use it on Impunus, a biter who advertises himself
as the self-appointed “brat prince of vampyres” so I can kill him
once and for all. So I hang out in fog blanketed graveyards, rotting
sewers and abandoned cities. I've had run-ins with vampyre sky
pirates in the Doom Isles. I've faced medusan naga in the mazes of
the Garden of Stone. I’ve hunted nearly every abomination in the
Broken Lands, things parents tell their children are just stories.
Yes, you can leave the lamp on tonight. Bugbears for breakfast and
dragons fir dinner, as the saying goes. The next shard is in Mot
Hadrall, the Accursed City, the City of Eternal Night. It has a
well-deserved reputation as a campaign killer. It has more ways to
kill you than the Tower of Perpetual Peril.
Tell my adventurers
about some of the technology in your world.
I'm not sure what
you mean. You see, there's the technology that makes the game
possible, and the technology of the game world itself. The latter is
the work of technomancers. We have clockwork soldiers, rapid-fire
crossbows and things of that nature. We have flying ships, but let's
be honest, that's just a fantasy ship that runs on levitanium like
any run of the mill hoverbike or hovercar. Why do we still feel the
need to stick the word “hover” in front of flying vehicles
anyway? Are there really a lot of people using ground bound wheelies
anymore? Anyway, most of the game effects and even some of the more
improbable character and monster races are made possible by the very
same technology we use in everyday life, adapted to the game
environment's needs. GameComm owns the premier producer of robotics
and, now that they've colonized Tarak, the Mars Colony monopoly on
levitanium is a thing of the past. Sometimes I still miss the virtual
reality version of the game, but I think people are tired of the
fantasies provided by nodal technology. They don't want to live out
biodigital illusions in their own heads; they want to live out here
in the real world. Well, not the real real world. Who would
want that?
The bit of game
technology I get the most questions about is the render. It's
basically what it looks like: a circular saw blade weapon that flies
around at my mental command. It comes in very handy in my line of
work. It's not perfect. It's the work of foul technology and
necromancy. The render must be sated on blood periodically. If it
doesn't feed often enough, it turns on me like it did in the Garden
of Stone. I took control of the weapon shortly after I slew the
vampyre Desperatus. A render without a master slaughters everything
within reach. I really didn't have a choice unless I wanted those
villagers on my conscience. Now I'm not sure I could get rid of it if
I wanted to. Now that I’ve seen what it can do, I’m not sure who
else I would trust its power with.
How would you
describe your fellow characters?
You can't mean the
White Hand. Most of my team died in the Garden of Stone.
You probably mean
the Champions of Otherworld. We were all, Champions and Wildcards,
chosen to participate in the game’s inaugural adventure because
we're the best of the best. Moog and Fleas are master thieves but I
think the real reason they were chosen is because they're never
boring. One's a wooden golem and the other's a werewolf. They've
excelled at this game by a sheer refusal to ever acknowledge that
they're ever in the slightest bit of danger. My worry is that they
tend to find trouble if it doesn't find them first. Harper Angelos is
the long lost heir to the Icarii throne. Yes, we were an item at one
time. She's a warrior princess who literally looks like an angel.
What's not to like? Magistera the Enchantress was also chosen as a
Champion. She tried to nab one of the shards of Soulbright before I
did in a previous adventure. I think the reason she's called the
Mistress of Illusions is because she has something to hide. Sir
Stanley Dragonslayer is a borog, an alien species that crash-landed
in the game world. They're really strong like an ogre. I'm
technically half-borog. The seventh Champion is a shadus elf named
Tolkien Brightbow. Obviously, I'm not thrilled about their choice of
making Luckbane a Wildcard player. He was killed by the dragon, fair
and square. He really shouldn't be here with the rest of us.
You know what? While
we're on the subject, let me make something very clear. These guys
are good, but I'm not with them. I don't know what McGuffin the
Gamelords have planned for us to chase after and I don't care. I'm
going to finish my quest. I'm going to assemble the shards of
Soulbright and vanquish Impunus once and for all.
Now if you'll excuse
me, I have a ship to board. The Cloud Tiger departs in about an hour
and, with all due respect to you and the fans out there, I can't wait
to get this adventure started. Subscribe to my player channel. You
won't be sorry.
Thank you for coming
to talk with us, and can’t wait to read all about you.
Look for Copper
Gallows in Soulbright (releasing at the end of 2017), the
sequel to Luckbane. In the meantime, check out Garden of
Stone to find out what happened to Copper and his team in one of
the game's most dangerous labyrinths. Visit TonyBreedenBooks.com to
find out more.
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