Rambling Rogues and Rangers

With nothing better coming to mind about what to blog about, i thought i would bore you all with some descriptions of the characters that just won't leave me alone. ;-)  The one thing you might need to know is that all of my stories are based in the Games-Workshop setting known as Necromunda.  Mostly because i just don't have that kind of creativity.  Necromunda is referred to as a "Hive World".  Basically humans have industrialized the planet to such a degree that most people dwell within massive cities, miles across at there base, and extending miles into the sky.  Whenever they need to expand they continue to add on "domes" or "spires" one upon the other.  All of the planet's natural resources have been depleted to such an extent that everything must be imported from off-world so that the industries can continue to churn out their wares that they produce.  The waste materials, solid/liquid/gases, are indiscriminately discarded out into what are known as the wastes. 

Within the "Hives" billions of people can inhabit a single city, and there are hundreds of cities around the globe.  Only the wealthiest live in the ever reaching spires of the hives.  These reach above the toxic clouds the cover their world.  To posses a single window is a sign of extravagant wealth.  Below them, and behind "The Wall" is "Hive City".  This is where over 95% of the population lives.  It is teeming with factories, hab-domes, commercial hubs, and people.  Below Hive City is the "Under Hive"  This region is occupied by the discarded remnants of society and industry above.  Abandoned factories and Habs, large swaths of toxic wastelands.  All slowly being crushed by the miles of construction above. Those who live here eek out a living by scavenging up what was left behind to resell or reuse for their own devices.  Many who cannot stand the cramped conditions of Hive City work their way here to get out from under the thumb of their oppressors.  There is yet one more layer known simply as "The Sump".  All of the runoff from the effluent above winds up here.  The dregs of society that could not hack it, or are simply not wanted , even in the Under Hive , dwell here.  Untold things, abominations, that have evolved after milennia upon milennia of exposure to the toxins of the factories above.  When mothers want to scare their children into submission they talk of the things of the Sump.  And yet, these are not the least hospitable places on Necromunda.

Beyond the walls of the hives are "The Wastes".  For untold years the industrial wastes from the factories of Necromunda have been discarded here.  Where once lavish forests and oceans teamed with life, now there are only shifting dunes of resins and dust.  The very air is hard to breath and the clouds, six miles above, rain down acid that form sludge runoffs and seas that disappear almost as quickly as they arrived.  Often leaving behind fragile crust shells that swallow up the unwary.

That is but a brief description of the background "character" known as Necromunda.  It plays an important backdrop, as would any 'world' or environment a story occupies.

My oldest recurring character is Ian.  As with most of the characters i write about i began his story when he was "wet behind the ears".  Ian was a spoiled middle class citizen of Hive City, his parents were managers in one of the rare "high tech" labs within a sub-group known as Van Saar.  When the dull routine of working in the lab day in and day out he bolted for the Under Hive.  He eventually joined up with a gang known as the "Steel Spiders" where he has been earning his keep and the 'tinkerer' and medic for the group.  His story line i have used to explore the "behind the scenes" aspect of the table top wargame, or what might be considered the pre and post "battle" sequence of events of the game itself.  While i also use the games i play from time to time to form a flowing "battle report" in story form, i have enjoyed just letting my imagination flow on how the people of the under hive eek out a living.  I have over twenty five chapters for this one character alone.  Each chapter is anywhere from 1,000 to over 3,000 words in length.  He is also the only character (so far) to have a "relationship" of any kind.

My next oldest continuing character is Logan.  He was the bastard child of a union between members of rival factions.  This union caused his mother to be an outcast from her House, and he an unwanted addition to his father's House.  When his mother is killed defending he is mostly disgarded dispite his father's best efforts.  Eventually Ian and his father are forced from there homes and take up to scrounging out a living in the tunnels in a long forgotten dome.  I have a lot of notes on where his "path" is going to go from here and it will continue to be unsettled to put it nicely.

The next guy comes from a story line that i've been working on for about eighteen months now.  I have about 4,500 words done along a parralel path with Ian above where Ian rescues this guy.  Eventually Jakob will have his own stand alone story line.  Jakob comes from a similar background as Ian, perhaps slightly higher up the food chain than Ian.  Instead of seeking to escape from the doldrums of day to day life in Hive City Jakob is in search of... something.  He has come believe that the distant Emporer is not the savior of mankind he is made out to be, and that the Machine Spirit is also a hoax.  But, there is something out there... and he is following the promptings of something calling itself "Ijam".  However, his adventures thus far have been nothing but misfortune having fallen into the hands of House Cawdor and having to be rescued (by the Steel Spiders).  While he was in captivity he had experienced a prolonged exposure to some highly toxic and active chemicals and has begun a transformation of sorts.  I already have a lengthy outline of where he is going from here, and his personal fortunes will not get better for some time.  But in the end he will find what he is looking for.

So far all of the characters have had some overlap.  Even Ian and Logan had a (very) brief exchange way back when.  The next character does not have any interaction with the others whatsoever.  Well, at least not that i have worked out in my notes... and it will most likely not change.  Harley is a brand new gang leader who has visions of deadly dancers based losely on a hazy pict seen on a grainy picture tube of the Eldar Harlequins.  Of all my characters she is the least developed thus far.  She was "born" out of my desire to break away from my usual mode of play when playing Necromunda.  Out of my own personal history my style of play tends to be more of the ranged, fire teams of mutual fire support based off of my days in the Infantry.  With Haley i break my own mold and will be pushing forward to get into the mix with hand to hand and close quarters battle, and since i like to write why not start up yet another story line. 8)

Last, but by far not the least, is Elrain Luinon Râdîr.  This character was originally based on an even older character than Ian.  A Nomad who made his living out in the wastes of Necromunda.  But when i saw a picture of an Eldar Ranger out on the web for a different Games Workshop game called Inquisitor, that all changed.  With my affinity for all things Elvish i had longed for a way to weave such a story line such as an Eldar Ranger team patrolling the wastes or hives of Necromunda.  With this motivation i promptly rewrote about two thirds of the outline i had already worked out, almost starting over, just so that i could interweave this new character.  Because the Eldar are so foreign to the world of Necromunda and the relevant "fluff", something i am already very familiar with, i have spent the most amount of time "researching" all things Eldarish for Warhammer 40,000.  Specifially the second edition of the rules since that is what the game Necromunda is based on.  His story line actuallu has not started yet, but i already have notes equally as long as Jakob's.  Râdîr and Jakob ultimately have paralleled paths.

I have a pretty descent mental picture of all of these characters, their personalities, their preferred clothing and weapon styles, and how they interact with the world around them.  I realized as i was "dressing" this blog that i've not fully collected images to help me... this will be the next step to help me keep them consistant.  For me the writing process is the most enjoyable aspect of the game.  Recently a cousin, who i had assumed would not enjoy such a genre, expressed an appreciation for my stories and i was surprised.  She explained that some people reflect a creative aspect of the Creator, and others an appreciation for the creations.  I pray that somehow God is glorified and approves of my scribbles, then it is my desire to write well enough for others to enjoy too.

(Note:  I am still learning how to link pictures back to their source, or to the owner of particular images... the image of a Hive belongs to Games Workshop.   The image i used for Ian i am unsure of who owns it, but i searched for a "Cyber Punk guy" and found several sources for this one.  The harlequin image was a "fan pic" that i found at "Deviant Art DOT net".)