PARTIZAN 02: Obelle, On Fire

To the west of the small town of Obelle, the Oxblood Clan attempts to secure the landing zone for an inbound VIP. The plan is simple: Recover them and escape east across the sea. To aid them in that task, the Society of Banners and Bright Returns have been sent to take out the nearby Apostolosian militia's sensors, fuel reserves, and weapon platforms.

So far, it's been light work for the team, with Kal'mera Broun's artillery-scale flashbang and Thisbe's powerful mechanical gorilla, Mow, being key to a smash-and-grab that's given the team control over the enemy's hollows. But now, as Valence is confronted by a member of an Apostolosian smuggling ring, chaos begins to seep into the mission...

This week on PARTIZAN: Obelle, On Fire

///Operation Dossier\\\

//Organizations\\

The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they're utilized by their commanding officer, Tes'ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation.

The Partizan Palace: Across Divinity, the Palace provides citizens with authorized archival information, approved news reports (kept up to date locally by the day, galactically by the week), and art and entertainment determined to be canonical to the Divine Principality.

House Whitestar: For generations, House Whitestar was among the smallest vassal families of Stel Kesh's most powerful noble House (itself called House Kesh). With modest holdings and minimal political influence, it seemed they'd inevitably fade into history. But after the Apostolosian leader Dahlia declared themselves the Glorious Princept, Stel Kesh announced that Cynosure Whitestar-Kesh, a mid-level diplomat, was the true Princept. With his rise, they've grown in importance and power.

//People\\

Tes'ili Serikos (they/them, tes/tes'): This Apostolosian transport specialist, black marketeer, and Tes'ili Serikos can get just about anything just about anywhere, for a price. Short, round, fuzzy, and good natured… unless you screw tes over.

Cymbidium (he/him): The elect of the Kesh-aligned divine Past. Cymbdium is an Ashen, the descendent culture of the ancient deer-like Hypha people. He is traveling to Partizan for mysterious reasons.

Azyet Eyesgrene (she/her): Recorder for the Partizan Palace. (Name unspoken.)

//Places\\

The Prophet's Path: An autonomous region of Partizan running from east from the barren edge of the desert, through the tropical coast, and through the Isles of Logos. Independent towns and cities like Obelle make up the bulk of its continental settlements. Believed to be the area through which the prophet Logos Kantel traveled on their miraculous journey one thousand years ago.

//Things\\

The Divine Past: Part floating city, part living library. The Divine Past was built tens of thousands of years before the Divine Principality was created. It stores an untold amount of information about the cultures it has observed, including the Divine Principality itself. The only person who can access this information is its Elect, who wanders its endless halls and travels across Divinity as equal parts librarian, priest, ship captain, and diplomat.

Cast: A mirror-coated, humanoid mech that appears like a four-winged angel, with loud jet engines hidden inside of its shiny, metallic wings. Just above its mouth, its head becomes an AWACS-esque flat sensor disc. Largely built for reconnaissance, and deployed by the Palace to gather information and recordings. Avoids conflict, though can defends or stabilize itself with a system of chains and hooks.

Ataraxia: A white, purple, and yellow mantid-shaped machine blessed by the divine Commitment and developed by Stel Columnar's Zenith Fund. Each of its six curved limbs can light up its edges with energy beams. On the ground, it can dance in combat in such a way that any two limbs can be its temporary feet, and when it's in flight, it becomes a complete whirlwind of violence. Named for the philosophical concept key to ancient Stoicism.

Herd: Developed from the basic AdArm Troop design, the Herd's centaur like silhouette is famous to anyone who has faced off against Apostolos. The Troop's bipedal legs have been replaced with piston-driven, heavy quad legs that are able to shift between two modes: Movement (with legs paired parallel like an ungulate, allowing for high speed traversal or charges) or combat (spread in a wide cross shape for stability in firing or traversal, moving like a spider). Armed with heavy shoulder cannon, and spears that can be used for both melee combat and as javelin-like explosive projectiles. (Name unspoken.)

Yoke: The Oxblood Clan's unique, further customized Herds. Though they cannot transform into the Herd's "combat" mode, they have upgrades that allow them to serve a unique command and operations role when deployed in pairs. Their heads feature unique horn sensors which can generate battlefield map data and targeting assistance when two Yokes can provide complete data. Wields a giant fortress shield in left hand, a kanabo in the right, and a vertical missile pod on back. (Name unspoken.)

//Additional Notes\\

SBBR's Mission Objectives: Primary: Support Oxblood's mission by destroying the Apostolosian fuel depot at point Barnacle and sensor station at point Carp, each outside of Obelle proper. Secondary: Destroy any hallows or hollows at Point Dory, in the Apostolosian base west of the river in Obelle.

Rules of Engagement: No harming civilians or civilian property inside of Obelle--destruction of fields is incidental and acceptable collateral damage. Do not enter Point Albacore under any circumstances.

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal, available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot)

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