The Arcane Masters

Below the surface of the dark planet Phuudj, among the abandoned gruen mining equipment is hidden the ancient ruins of the Temple of T-Rax. As you enter you see there is a gathering of over fifty hooded grue. They are chanting in a terrible sounding dirge. Their bodies shift and ungulate unnaturally as they sway and keen. In the center of them are two huge grue that are more just masses of evershifting tentacles than humanoids. From them pours power that seems to wax and wane with the cadence of their chanting. These are the Master of the Arcane. They seem to be channeling pure cosmic energy from an unknown and unseen source. There once grue like eye protuberances are now deep pits that shine with raw destructive energy.

The Arcanists

Grue legend speaks of The crew of the mining platform, noth grue drones and their coordinators alike begin to shift like magenta fluid intothe shape of hooded cultists.  Once these beings worshipped at errible old god known as T-Rax before the formation of the Meta-Mind and the establishment of collective telepathic cells. These grue were known as the Arcanists and often took on horrific shifting forms, engaged in unthinkable practices such as ritual sacrifice and cannibalism.

Their primary goal is awakening their ancient god, an all consuming beast they call T-Rax, who sleeps forever at the center of the galaxy. T-Rax is known by many other names but on other planets, such as Sun Wukong, the Monkey King and Collapsar.

Since the Lor occupation of Gruen the Arcanists have seen a modern revival, using their unholy magics and rituals without the countering influence of the Gruen Metamind.

TioKio System

The Metamind

Polyphase Avatrons

The usually clam and pristine halls of the Lor vessel have been replaced by glaring red emergency lighting, deafening alarms, smashed consoles and ripped up sections of the interior fuselage. There is no sign of the coordinated crew of Punishment Station. The halls are eerily still and devoid of life. Suddenly around a t junction in the corridor ahead their a robot hovers into view. It turns and a scanning beam emits from its round optic sensors.

Issue 2.6 The Temple of T-Rax

Last time the Vanguard visited Freedom Halls station, a massive spacestation that is home to trillions of aliens from hundred of worlds from throughout the galaxy (they even had a McDonalds). The Vanguard enjoyed some well deserved R and R. Doctor Robot built a new highly advanced body. Adela enjoyed a relaxing DNA test and Spacewolf lost a televised duel with the best of the Special Friends, Whammoman. During their time there Ultima left with the Argent Acrobat for part unknown and they discovered a strange alien creature known only as the Rash. Intent on finding a power stone the Vanguard returned to Gruen Prime and talked their way past the Punishment Station.Once on the surface our heroes quickly liberated the Saak Trinity from the Lor restraint collars designed to limited their mental and metamorphic abilities and turn them into suggestive drones. Once freed the Grue helped our heroes escape the capital building and lead them to a secret Unifer base. Will the Grue resistance be able to assist the Vanguard in sneaking on board the Lor Republic's Punishment Station, rescuing the Grue Metamind and finding the location of the Red Sacramundi Crystal? There is only one way to find out as the Vanaguard are about to discover the importance of...

The Unifiers

 The Unifiers are a small portion of the population of occupied Gruen that continue to resist the punishment imposses upon the Grue by the Lore Republic. Unifiers secretly have maintained their shapeshifting and telepathic abilities, often posing as subdued drones to gather intel and carry out terrorist actions.

Occupied Gruen

The surface of Gruen is a depressing site. Everywhere you look are either Coordinated Agents of the Lore Republic or Grue fitted with metagenic muzzles meant to inhibit the Grue's natural shapeshifting abilities and their connect to their telepathic collective cells.

While everything is peaceful and orderly... it is maintained through the complete domination of a once proud race.

The Gruen Occupation Forces

 The Gruen Occupation is overseen from orbit . There hovers Punishment Station, a battle platform armed with a Tensor cannon large and powerful enough to convert and store entire planets.

Administrating this station is the Lore Reagent Monk Man Is It Windy and his second-in-command Retreatant Monk Any Kind of High Step.

Keeping the peace are thousands of elite Punishment Agents that employ suits that use the most advanced Transor technology available in the galaxy. They are capable of transitioning energy reserves stored in the suit into personal fight craft capable of atmospheric and short range stellar flight.

Whammo-Man

Following close behind is a giant whooping pink and lavender blur of fists. It is easily moving at the speed of sound and is on a collision course with the weird mass of scar tissue. It makes an even larger hole in the bulkhead and smashes through vendor stalls as if they were tissue paper. Believe it or not, you think it is laughing. It passes by you, smiles and shouts, "GREETINGS CITIZENS!!!!"

Rash

Huge reinforced blast doors retreat with the sound of grinding metal and squealing gears. An alarm immediately joins the cacophony. From the blackness beyond the doors a massive creature shifts and flops around making terrible fleshy slapping noises. Suddenly from out of the darkness a creature that appears to be made entirely out of inflamed scar tissue and inflected red flesh bursts out of the opening headed straight toward you. It excitedly repeats the same three words...

I

AM

RASH!!!

Issue 2.5: Invasion of the Earthors

Last time the Vanguard had started a riot on the lawless space station known as the Scragg. Split up and surrounded by alien pirates, murders and thieves our heroes eventually made it back to their ship, The Comet. That is when all cosmic weirdness broke out. The station was visited by the face of NORN, the Preserver of Fate who warned the group that they were destined to fulfill the Grey Emissary's task but that they were doomed to fail and that they maddeningly had the freewill needed to make their own destiny. No step closer to understanding the true nature of the universe the Vanguard said goodbye to the Argent Acrobat and traveled on to Freedom Halls, a massive space station and welcoming center for all free and peaceful races of the galaxy. There they plan to refuel, regroup and, in the case of Doctor Robot, redesign. Unbeknownst to our heroes fate appears to have more in store for them then their current plans may indicate. Tonight we pause for a very special episode of Victory for Vanguard...

Freedom Halls

Klax

Floating out of the fading brightness is a small misshapen insectoid figure whose body is uncontrollable shuttering in spasms that make a horrible chattering noise. This is the Blackguard known as Klax, who is feared across the galaxy. Klax flies above the terror filled crowd of rioters on almost beautiful iridescent insectical wings. Its multi-hinged mandibles open and out pours the dark matter of the Shadowband Nebula like unholy drool.

As a member of the Blackguard he can manipulate the same dark matter that makes up the Shadowband Nebula using his Annihilator technology.

Izeel

Floating out of the fading brightness is a menacing figure that shares an appearance of a classic grey alien mixed with a angel of Earth mythology. This is the Blackguard known as Izeel, who is feared across the galaxy. Off of his back are two massive wings made entirely of dark matter from the Shadowband Nebula. This matter is dripping constantly from his 'wings' as he advances into the station. His blank predator stare sizes up all those present. You lock eyes.

As a member of the Blackguard he can manipulate the same dark matter that makes up the Shadowband Nebula using his Annihilator technology.

Dark Star

Floating out of the fading brightness is a menacing figure that can only be the Dark Star, excommunicated Space Knight and leader of the feared Blackguard, a "law enforcement" entity that acts as judge, jury and executioner across the galaxy. His hands are wreathed in boiling dark matter that aborb all the light and heat surround him. At the very sight of Dark Star the riots begin to panic and stampede away from him. You are caught in the surge of bodies.

As a member of the Blackguard he can manipulate the same dark matter that makes up the Shadowband Nebula using his Annihilator technology.

Norn

The mask fades away in the same rainbow color mist that summoned it to reveal a frail grey-skinned woman of extremely advanced years. She is held aloft by invasive cables that bore into her back and skull. She appears to be in great pain and the expression on her face is one of regret and profound sadness. She lacks all the inherent cosmic power displayed by her facemask or that you've observed in the Grey Emissary. This creature before you is nothing more than an ancient husk nearly devoid of all life energy.

The Face of Norn

Space outside the station begins to lighten... quickly becoming so bright the viewing windows and portholes shine with blazing white radiance that blinds you if you stare for two long.

Artificial light sources flare and explode from this sockets and recesses. Speakers squeal with feedback of the radiation present at the very dawn of time.

The air around you begins to crackle and small pockets of cosmic energy begin to explode all around you. Those unlucky enough to make contact with these subspace distortions are atomized in front of your eyes.

 A rainbow hued haze spreads across the floor of the station on every level. In front of you emerging from the haze is a giant metal faceplate similar in look to the Tellax but formed from the same silvery material that makes up the body of the Argent Acrobat. no matter which way you turn the face remains in the center of your vision.

It speaks.

I AM NORN 

Carnoso Gigante

The Mysterious Hooded Figure

Across the room you sense that you are being watched. As you turn in that direction you scan the crowd for anyone that stands out to you. Initially you see nothing. These are all minimal threats to a fighter such as yourself. Just when you have almost convinced yourself it was just paranoia you spot him. All the way in the back of the crowd stands a powerful figure wearing a hood and half concealed in shadows. He is looking directly into you.

Don Dawn Double Swan

Appearing as a larger than life hologram the station's current administrator, a long necked saurian Terrordon captain named Don Dawn Double Swan attempts to quell the riots on every floor of the station.

He voice emanates from all system connected speakers.

The majority of the rioters ignore his warnings, even fighting through his projected image in places.

The Lords of Terminus

The Lords of Terminus are an anti-robot cult that believes that life in the galaxy would be infinitely better off if all robots were smashed into tiny pieces.

Ahead of you dancing manically on the top of a pillar is a lizard man covered in garishly colored robes and what appears to be jewelry made from discarded cables and ripped apart robot parts.

He points a shaking finger in your direction and screams at the top of his lungs...

Game Night 2.4

Last time the Vanguard ran into the Argent Acrobat, a cosmically powered harbinger of doom feared throughout the galaxy. After the obligatory superhero meet-up misunderstanding fight Dr. Robot used his superior intellect to fashion a device that allowed the Acrobat to communicate with the group. She then explained her purpose to warn others of the dangers of the Collaspar, including the Vanguard. It appears that their arrival in the galaxy has not gone unnoticed. This information only continued the muddy the already murky motivations given to them by the Grey Emissary. Uncertain of their desire to continue being pawns of the Emissary's plan they traveled out of Lore space, giving the Argent Acrobat time to explore hobbies for the first time in her existence. Needing to refuel the Vanguard made a stop next at the Skraag space station, a lawless nest of pirates and space scum controlled by the intergalactic organized crime figures known as the Terrordons. It didn't take long for the Space Knight, SPACEWOLF, to pick a fight with one of the Terrordon captains. A fight that was over quickly but that is spreading throughout the station into a full blown riot. In the midst of this chaos a paint splattered Argent Acrobat appears on the station and shouts a warning to Ultima Saborosa...

A cosmic warning...  

The Terror Dons

 The Terror Dons are an unruly mix of space pirates and organized crime figures that plague the outer reaches of the Lore Republic.

Known for extortionist protection services, smuggling and hijacking the Terror Dons are feared in this part of the galaxy.

Believed to be headquartered in the Scraag the Terror Don fleet is made up of all manner of heavily armed ships ruled mercilessly by a captain and serviced by a slovenly crew of hard-bitten scum.

The Scraag

Issue 2.3: Ally or Enemy?

Last time the Vanguard proved why they are true heroes even in the emptiness of space. Risking their own lives to save the crew of the  AAS Compendium from the relentless terror of the Mechination. as they fled the destruction of the Compendium the Vanguard watched as the mechination sphere shifted into an approximation of the  face of Maximillian Mars' laughing as they flew away.

The Vanguard decided not to accompany the monks of the Lore Republic back to their central homeworld to face tribunal for their imagined crimes. Instead our heroes dropped the Compendium crew off on a peaceful farming collective in the Blue Balls system.

After leaving Blue Balls behind the Vanguard received a rather unexpected guest... the Argent Acrobat, a cosmically powered metal entity known throughout the galaxy as the precursor of Collapsar. The question the must ask themselves will this Argent Acrobat turn out to be an...

The Argent Acrobat

The Argent Acrobat is a unique being in the galaxy. No one is sure what the origin of this metallic female creature. What is known of her is that she brings chaos and ruin and she has never been beaten...

She has just jumped onto your ship.

The Sciquon System

Grue Space

The Blue Balls System

Vanguard for Victory 2.2: Mechinations of Madness!

Last time the vanguard were welcomed to the greater milky way galaxy by monks of the Astrologic Armada, protectors of the Lore Republic. Our heroes were detained for the crime of violating the Ancient Frontier, a massive array of space mines surrounding the Forbidden Zone... what aliens call the solar system containing Earth. The heroes succeeded in making a few allies of the monks and repairing their ship. As they were in the process of fleeing the Lore vessel the Astrologic Armada vessel was attached by the Mechination, tens of thousands of insane robots designed for one terrible purpose, the creation of more of the Mechination using sentient minds and the technology that protects them. Will our heroes turn around to save their recent captors, or will they leave the monks to a fate worse than death. Time will tell as we begin...

A Travellers Guide Map of the Milky Way Galaxy

Bridge Crew

One Spooky Cart

One Spooky Cart is the regent of the AAS Compendium and the highest ranking monk on board..

The Mechinations

The Mechinations are a scourge of the galaxy. They are robotic creatures that travel the universe in clustered groups searching out sources of technology. They attack the source, converting it from its normal function into a drone of the Mechination. They then seek out a living conscious to upload in the drones, driving them crazy in the process.

There are four classes of Mechinations: Drones, Strippers that break down technology sources and hunt biologics, Assemblers that create drones and Converters that download consciousness.

It is believed that they were created by the Collapsar after it's escape from the Cradle of Knowledge.

Why Course

Why Course is a mystic Monk of the Lore Republic. He is the AAS Compendium's Second in command. He is followed by a smaller humanoid appearing to be of the same race in a different styled uniform. This is His novice. He introduces him as Willpower Compress.

The Lore Republic

A peaceful, orderly government spanning hundreds of worlds. In order to gain entry into the Republic the cultures present of a planet must agree to abandon their laws and belief systems in favor of the codes upheld by the Republic. Entire planetary cultures are assimilated and preserved in museums. The Lore Republic maintains a universal translation and information repository network accessible by any citizen within the confines of republic space. All industry and financial transactions are handled and administrated by the government. Citizens of the Republic chose a profession or calling that best fits their aptitude and work for personal satisfaction instead of profit. Lore Republic space surrounds our solar system, quarantining it as part of an ancient promise. 

Order is maintained by the Monks of Lore (commanding peacekeepers that rely of mystic abilities) and the Coordination (genetically identical soldiers grown for the defense of the Republic), two organizations that work together on starships that make up the Astrologic Armada. 

VfV Volume 2 Episode 1: Welcome to the Neighborhood

The Vanguard is in SPACE! The Vanguard team agreed to help the alien Preserver and apparent Moon God The Gray Emissary prepare Shota for the coming of the unstoppable Collapsar. Doctor Robot, the Super-Unknown, Ultimate Saborosa and Prince Scartax volunteered to collect seven cosmically powered crystals containing the essence of Chakramundi, Lord of the first Universe. Once gathered these crystals could return Shota to his full strength, allowing him to face off against the Collapsar directly. The Vanguard team was instantaneously teleported to the very edge of the solar system and given a container holding something that would help them find and recover the crystals from their resting places through the galaxy. Unfortunately the container turned out to be filled with Maximillian Mar's head, which just as unfortunately appeared to retain the ability to reason and speak despite no longer being attached to Max's body. Shortly after that unpleasant discovery all Hell broke loose. What was, moments before, the vast dark emptiness of space was immediately filled with broadcasts in billions of languages and millions of space mines that surrounded their lunar space vessel on all sides. Only Scartax's lightning reflexes and hot shot piloting skills got the ship through the mine field somewhat intact. In their retreat most the critical ship systems were damaged and taken off line just as a large star ship appeared off their bow. It identified itself as the AAS Compendium, flagship of the Lore Republic. Prince Scartax and Ultima Saborosa were converted into energy streams and transmitted off the ship leaving the undetectable Adela, Doctor Robot in all his non-organic glory and Max's head still aboard the crippled moon rocket as it is tractor beamed into the larger ship's hold. 

What happens next is anyone's guess...