Valor is superior to number.
—Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus
In all good stories, three elements must be absolutely crystal clear from the beginning if one is to create action which is both enjoyable and significant to the plot. Three elements alone- the rest is a matter of style and sophistry.
The setting: Project Phoenix Headquarters, Los Angeles, USA. Though hardly the only outpost of the project, HQ is easily the largest facility available to the team. Made of concrete and rebar and reinforced with steel, the building is imposing, totally fireproof, and extremely durable-- a necessity, given the sort of individual who lives inside. The sun has set some time ago, yet quite a while remains before sunrise.
The players: The Empress sleeps in quarters near the roof, exhausted after a hard day's work training her team and assessing their various talents. On the floor below are the rooms for the heroes of Project Phoenix; below that is a variety of offices, training areas, and laboratories all devoted to keeping the project running as smoothly and effectively as possible. The scientists, bureaucrats, handymen and janitors have gone home for the night. All is quiet. That is, until...
The antagonists: No fewer than thirty individuals step silently through a door, the lock freshly picked. Their clothes are dark, their movements sure. Jade masks in an unusual Japanese style cover their faces, and each holds a number of weapons both concealed and open. They move with purpose, splitting into two groups: twenty-five moving up the stairs to the heroes' quarters, five making for the vault in the basement.
A single miscalculation: halfway up the stairs, the infiltrators trip an infrared switch, and alarms start to blare throughout the whole building.
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Requirements
-Your character might not be staying permanently at HQ, but for tonight at least you have for one reason or another elected to spend the night here.
-In the middle of the night, HQ is invaded by a group of 30 masked individuals. You don't know their purpose, and they aren't forthcoming with their reasons. These individuals are unpowered, but armed and highly skilled. They are perfectly willing to use lethal force.
-Twenty-five will move for the Empress' quarters, and attempt to kill anyone who gets in their way. You should probably stop them.
-The remaining five will move for the vault. Whatever is in there is highly valuable to them. Might be useful to try and apprehend them.
Kills: Two ballot kills, and one in-entry kill, unless you're a lesbian with magic lipstick, in which case you get nothing. Eight tributes will be going up for votes this round. Six will be eliminated.
Due Date: Saturday, October 14 at 10 PM EST
YOU ARE READING
Author Games: The Absent Empress
ActionA year has gone by since Miguel Santos died leading the Sentries, and Sakura Sato has her work cut out for her. As the new host for the demon and angel who gave Miguel his superhuman might, she's now the World's Mightiest Hero- whether she likes it...
