The Epilogue to Child of the Australs. What? You didn’t think I was going to leave it at that, did you?
Child of the Australs: A Tanuki named Juni (5)
Upon your Recovery from the psyche-shattering revelation of Raoul’s true nature, you were in turn confronted with the secret identities of another of your companions. The Koala Cally was revealed to be, like the Gremlin Emmy, a Handmaiden of Hell’s Throne. An Agent of Maou, the Goddess-Queen herself, answerable only to the upper echelons of the Council of Matriarchs. The Lilim Telia, her machinations now come full circle, revealed the true role she had devised for you. In concert with the Gremlin’s mechanical expertise, you were to open a rift to the world known only as ‘Wonderland’, to facilitate the evacuation of the mamono who still lingered there, faced with utter annihilation from the destructive force they knew only as ‘The Nothing.’
With the assistance of the Cogitator Bjorn, a resonant whose near-incommunicatively autistic mind lent him to phenominal feats of computational ability, you constructed the device, and at Raoul’s request, stripped the Master Resonant of his connection to The Logos, thus enabling him to embrace for the first time, the true, terrifying power of Lord Dumat.
Amplified by Angelic authority and tapping into the massive ley-nexus which lay in the centre of the Australs, you succeeded in opening the rift, and the majority of the Wonderlanders were brought safely through, from there to be transported to various corners of the world, and some even to the Hells themselves. Yet this act was not without cost. Having drunk so deeply of Angelic power, Raoul Ascended from his mortal form, becoming the inscrutiably alien Seraphim Rhaziael, the loss of his former humanity keenly felt by Cally, his former ward. Her task completed, Cally reluctantly left your company, her own tasks bearing her somewhere to the east.
Rewarded beyond dream of riches by the grateful Lilim, you set out back towards the west, where the potential to purchase some of the famously rugged horses of House Kalbarri was too great to pass up. The Griffon Bella joined you in this endeavour, eager to remain in the company of her new friends.
Child of the Australs: A Gremlin named Emmy (4)
Leaving the Manticore Morrigan and her Turncoat Paladin mate, Philip, to their own devices, you explored the mining Barony of Boulder for further opportunities for profit. As if by magic, a phenominally profitable position on a Caravan seemed to fall into your lap.
‘Magic’ turned out to be the appropriate term, as an encounter with a pack of Kobolds revealed that the Cargo you were transporting were highly potent magical focii, being borne to Thealiss, an ‘Outpost’ of the Hells in the Mortal planes, legally speaking.
Upon reaching Thealiss, you were led by an Incubus (To your initial FERVENT objection) to your mysterious ‘Buyer’, who turned out to be none other than The Lilim Telia, White Queen, Daughter of Maou, Light of the Evenstar, and other suitably intimidating titles befitting a being just shy of Godhood. Upon learning of your Resonant ability, Telia presented to you an offer, take your promised payment with her gratitude, or turn it into a far greater sum by fetching a mysterious object from a foreboding region of Thealiss known only as ‘The Gap.’
After much consideration, you agreed and set out, only to be confronted by a fragment of God-Before-Tyris, the Mamonocidal Goddess Ilias. Bulling past that ancient power more by sheer luck than any kind of planned skill, you found Her Immortal Guardian in the person of Bella, a Griffon who had been thoroughly brainwashed into Ilian worship by years of systematic abuse and psychological manipulation. Eventually, you managed to convince Bella to let you explore the ruins under her supervision.
The eons-old facility held many mysteries of the amazingly technologically advanced Antient World, most of it well beyond your ken. You did, however, manage to free a Gremlin named Emmy from within the object Telia had described to you, and recognising her as the true goal of your quest, you prepared to leave… That process rapidly expedited by the awakening of a Dis Anima, an amalgamation of undead energy left to ferment in the magically potent atmosphere for thousands of years.
Upon your eventual escape, you were surprised by the appearance of Raoul, Cally’s erstwhile guardian. The Master Resonant declared that a Matrix of Resonance had been sensed in the area, demanding to know what you and your new companions knew about it.
Upon revelation that the matrix had in fact been used as some kind of device for storing information Emmy termed a ‘Server’ and had not been disturbed by any of you, Raoul seemed to relax, before the Dis Anima broke from the facility and began to pursue you again. Raoul Ordered you all to flee as he faced the terrifying amalgam, destroying it, the Matrix, and the entire ruined facility in a cataclysmic explosion of unimaginable power.
Returning to Thealiss, you were greeted by the enthusiastic joy of your Companions, yet all was not to remain so blessedly peaceful. Using your Resonant ability to break up a fight between Morrigan and a Mana-Drunk Bella had the unexpected side-effect of revealing to Raoul your hidden abilities. In the resulting argument as to where his greater duty lay, Telia inadvertently revealed him as Lord Dumat, Left Hand of God, and Star of The Morning. The revelation of the Wrath of Tyris Personified sent you into a shrieking near-madness, and you were forced into convalescence, your loyal Kobold Blue remaining by your side as she nursed you back to health…
‘Magic’ turned out to be the appropriate term, as an encounter with a pack of Kobolds revealed that the Cargo you were transporting were highly potent magical focii, being borne to Thealiss, an ‘Outpost’ of the Hells in the Mortal planes, legally speaking.
Upon reaching Thealiss, you were led by an Incubus (To your initial FERVENT objection) to your mysterious ‘Buyer’, who turned out to be none other than The Lilim Telia, White Queen, Daughter of Maou, Light of the Evenstar, and other suitably intimidating titles befitting a being just shy of Godhood. Upon learning of your Resonant ability, Telia presented to you an offer, take your promised payment with her gratitude, or turn it into a far greater sum by fetching a mysterious object from a foreboding region of Thealiss known only as ‘The Gap.’
After much consideration, you agreed and set out, only to be confronted by a fragment of God-Before-Tyris, the Mamonocidal Goddess Ilias. Bulling past that ancient power more by sheer luck than any kind of planned skill, you found Her Immortal Guardian in the person of Bella, a Griffon who had been thoroughly brainwashed into Ilian worship by years of systematic abuse and psychological manipulation. Eventually, you managed to convince Bella to let you explore the ruins under her supervision.
The eons-old facility held many mysteries of the amazingly technologically advanced Antient World, most of it well beyond your ken. You did, however, manage to free a Gremlin named Emmy from within the object Telia had described to you, and recognising her as the true goal of your quest, you prepared to leave… That process rapidly expedited by the awakening of a Dis Anima, an amalgamation of undead energy left to ferment in the magically potent atmosphere for thousands of years.
Upon your eventual escape, you were surprised by the appearance of Raoul, Cally’s erstwhile guardian. The Master Resonant declared that a Matrix of Resonance had been sensed in the area, demanding to know what you and your new companions knew about it.
Upon revelation that the matrix had in fact been used as some kind of device for storing information Emmy termed a ‘Server’ and had not been disturbed by any of you, Raoul seemed to relax, before the Dis Anima broke from the facility and began to pursue you again. Raoul Ordered you all to flee as he faced the terrifying amalgam, destroying it, the Matrix, and the entire ruined facility in a cataclysmic explosion of unimaginable power.
Returning to Thealiss, you were greeted by the enthusiastic joy of your Companions, yet all was not to remain so blessedly peaceful. Using your Resonant ability to break up a fight between Morrigan and a Mana-Drunk Bella had the unexpected side-effect of revealing to Raoul your hidden abilities. In the resulting argument as to where his greater duty lay, Telia inadvertently revealed him as Lord Dumat, Left Hand of God, and Star of The Morning. The revelation of the Wrath of Tyris Personified sent you into a shrieking near-madness, and you were forced into convalescence, your loyal Kobold Blue remaining by your side as she nursed you back to health…
Child of the Australs: A Paladin named Phillip (3)
Having successfully completed your task to ratify the new Baron of Esperance, and avoiding the advances of his proposing Ambassador, you took the Leviathan Skull to Wagyl, the Mythical Rainbow Serpent of the West Australs. As a reward, you were presented with a Matrix of Resonance. Against the advice of your Mamono companions, you tested yourself against it in an empty stable back at Gibson Holding, and managed to survive the process, awakening as a Resonant, a human capable of reworking reality by will alone, through the mysterious force known only as the Logos. Learning to use your abilities has been a slow process, having neither teacher nor lore with which to study, and the unknown consequences of being a ‘wilder’ hindering you from exploring it openly.
Successfully negotiating with Juni, the Tanuki Agent of the Underwriting firm Tenno and Goldstein, you have increased your transport capacity, and secured a job transporting coinage to the Mining city of Boulder, two weeks travel inland. You had secured the services of Chun-Hua, a taciturn, deadly Jinko mercenary to protect the precious payload, and had agreed to transport a mysterious passenger, revealed in a hot-tempered argument to be a Manticore, an endangered and oft-maligned species of Mamono.
The revelation of your Resonant ability to your new acquaintances was a touch rocky, Chun-Hua reacting with utter terror. Her own experiences with Resonants, known as ‘Sifu’ in the Aestenlands were much less than cordial, and it took the bonding experience of a hunt with Blue for her to gradually come to realize that you were not the same as those she had encountered. A short, ugly fight with a trio of raiders from the IMFC had served to bond you somewhat closer as well, and the remainder of the trip was blissfully dull.
Morrigan, the manticore, however, presented you with a new conundrum, as her ‘mate’ turned out to be a turncoat Paladin, who had abandoned his post with the Faith Militant to live as a simple Townsman, blessedly anonymous amongst the populace of Boulder. The question then was… what to do from here?
Child of the Australs: A Manticore named Morrigan (2)
The party returns from Port Albany after successfully Ratifying the Ascension of the new Baron of Esperance, Breyten, a highly successful trader from Port Fremantle. Your efforts to secure the Seal of Dominus Ian, the Supreme Justice of the Australs and Governing Arbiter vice-royal of all territories under the Protectorate were not without interesting developments in their own right, as you found yourself embroiled in the midst of a conspiracy involving two members of the Grand Lodge of Resonance, The body comprising those humans capable of manipulating reality by aid of a mysterious force known only as ‘The Logos’.
Something deeper lay beneath the conflict, but your new Koala companion, Cally, who was privy to the finer details by her own indenturehood to Raoul, one of the Resonants involved, insisted that you remained uninvolved and ignorant of those details, ostensibly for your own safety. Seeing no reason to disagree and with your hard-won prize in hand, you conceded to her advice. As you left the Port you were confronted by a Reptillian named Kessiah, a Pilbaran Blademistress, who advises that your impression on the Dominus was positive enough for him to send her along to ensure your safety.
Stopping at the small township of Mount Barker, you and your two Mamono companions were instrumental in retrieving a loose Rooster, one of the astonishingly rare and near-mindless Male mamono, yet unfortunately arriving too late to save the life of the apprentice to the Waylander who served as the township’s de facto mayor, who had fallen to its savagery. Now, you face the burden of having to bear that bad news to the Waylander…
Something deeper lay beneath the conflict, but your new Koala companion, Cally, who was privy to the finer details by her own indenturehood to Raoul, one of the Resonants involved, insisted that you remained uninvolved and ignorant of those details, ostensibly for your own safety. Seeing no reason to disagree and with your hard-won prize in hand, you conceded to her advice. As you left the Port you were confronted by a Reptillian named Kessiah, a Pilbaran Blademistress, who advises that your impression on the Dominus was positive enough for him to send her along to ensure your safety.
Stopping at the small township of Mount Barker, you and your two Mamono companions were instrumental in retrieving a loose Rooster, one of the astonishingly rare and near-mindless Male mamono, yet unfortunately arriving too late to save the life of the apprentice to the Waylander who served as the township’s de facto mayor, who had fallen to its savagery. Now, you face the burden of having to bear that bad news to the Waylander…
Child of the Australs: A Kobold named Blue (1)
(A CYOA I ran some time back on 8chan’s /monster/ board. Someone mentioned how much they enjoyed re-reading it recently and how it added detail to the Paxian era of my persistent universe. So, figured I’d clean it up a bit and post it as a story in its own right.)
You are Adam Gibson, a young man in his twentieth year. Today is the day you are marked as a Man and a Citizen. Your Father is a minor Landholder, having sworn an oath of fealty to a Baron. Your mother is officially unknown, as you are, like all humans, the product of the ritual human copulation known as the Rite of Continuance, and were raised to a teen within the communal nursery/school known as the Abbey of Blessed Innocence. You are the third son acknowledged by your household. Though you may remain here, it will be as little more than a simple labourer unless both of your elder brothers die. In other lands, you would be pledged to the Faith Militant, but here in the Australs, the punishing, dangerous island in the world’s southern hemisphere, known millennia ago as ‘Australia’, the sparse population offers you a greater chance for advancement and fortune.
Under Foreign Skies
(Another ‘Monster Girl School Adventures’ Offering from 8chan /monster/. HAVE YOU SPOTTED ALL THE NODS TO THE PAX YET? :^) )
John Walden, an economic refugee from the United States of America is taken in by his Australian uncle. Ostensibly occupied by some unknown military project, the task of looking after him falls to his cousin Kyle, a foul mouthed police officer. Taking the final year of High school is bad enough, worse when there are Mamono everywhere, but doing it with AUSTRALIAN Mamono? He’s in for an interesting year.
Australian in a Strange Land
(This is something I whipped up for a “Monster Girl School Stories” thread on 8chan /monster/ a while back. Turned out well enough that I thought it worth adding here.)
David McDavidson is in a bastard of a situation. Ripped away from his Australian home after his father’s department closed, he has to learn to come to terms with living in the monster-filled country of Zipangu, as well as the presence of his father’s new wife. Along the way he’ll learn about life, love, sadness and HOLY SHIT YES IT’S ESSENTIALLY A SEINEN ANIME RIP-OFF. Just have a read.
Tales of The Walker: Immaterium (4)
Revelations about the true nature of the Logos of Resonance, and the mysterious youth Corvus threaten to throw everything Walker’s party thinks they understand about the world upside down. Michael finally learns the truth about the fate of the enigmatic Echidna, and Bruce must make a decision to entrust everything he has built to unproven hands. All this will be for naught, however, if a solution is not found to the encroaching Doom of all Existence, wrapped up in the terrifying form of The Great Dragon, for how can one kill a being which eats Gods?
Tales of The Walker: Botany (3)
Walker and his party begin their search for the reclusive Dominus of the Australs, beset on all sides by the constant risk from the terrifying Mamono of that hostile land. Meanwhile an act of experimentation by the rogue resonants there has presented the party with an unexpected opportunity to understand the mysteries presented by the Logos. Lucifer, aware of the Unholy Crusade which Azrael is about to embark upon, begins to make his own plans. Yet the Gods keep their own council, and their machinations still remain a mystery, even as an ancient threat begins to stir under the irradiated sands of the smoking wastes…