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Re: Story Workshop

Reply #25
I think we should either stop for resupply and then see Garak as Rez said, or gather allies within the Federation, worlds which could secretly assist the Theurgy. Worlds like Efros or Delta, or Betazed, or something.

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #26
I think we should either stop for resupply and then see Garak as Rez said, or gather allies within the Federation, worlds which could secretly assist the Theurgy. Worlds like Efros or Delta, or Betazed, or something.

This would be pretty awesome.  Some of my favorite Trek episodes are crossovers.  Lwaxana visiting DS9, Q popping up on Voyager, Arridor & Kol (VOY: False Profits) showing up in the Delta Quadrant, Louis Zimmerman, etc.  It bridges the series in a spectacular way.  Garak is such a profound character, that it'd be a shame he didn't make a "guest appearance".

And I wouldn't be opposed to the Theurgy visiting Betazed.  Lol.  Though, from STO's map, it's on the opposite side of Federation space to where the Theurgy is actually right now.

This isn't really a specific story suggestion, but of a general idea.  I think to connect the Theurgy deeper into Trek mythology would be to take an episode TNG, DS9, or VOY, and pick up where they left off.  Such as the VOY episode: "False Profits" did with TNG's episode, "The Price".  The Ferengi were stuck in the Delta Quadrant at the end of The Price and False Profits's finished that specific story.  The two episodes are completely different, but one thread unites them.
"I am Scion of the Ninth House, Warden of the Sacred Way, and Keeper of the Divine Scepter of Betazed...who are you?"
- - - Ambassador Tamren Jhenal, Diplomatic Attaché [Show/Hide]

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #27
As cool as dropping in to visit one of the big Federation worlds might be, we also have to consider the fact that those world are heavily visited and monitored by other Federation vessels.  I would think the Theurgy showing up in orbit around one would raise several red flags quite quickly no matter how kindly the world itself might be disposed towards the ship.  I would think any such support would have to come through back channels in otherwise obscure sectors not frequented by Federation traffic (like perhaps in the sun shadow of that world, or on a mining facility hidden inside a gas giant within the system or in another system that race holds).

Not intending to sound critical; just adding more spices to the mix.

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #28
I like that idea a lot actually, back channel arrangements for support would be a good place to start until a more general movement can be made.

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #29
[Trexelcat prepares the spell: Wall of Text]

Okay, so some of you might have been party to my initial posting of this idea in discord. And after discussing it with @Auctor Lucan he gave his like of it and requested I post it here. So.. Here we go!

In discord it's been brought up a couple of times now of having something that can swallow the Theurgy, and have an entire plot of trying to get out(or something along those lines). So my plot idea is to have a Voth Fortress Ship be that something.

The idea is that this ship appears, and is completely unknown so an investigation is warranted. It's just cruising along at sublight speeds, any attempts to hail go unanswered. The ability to identify it would be purely based on if the Theurgy has access to Voyager's records of their encounter with the Voth(keep in mind that in 2381 the events in STO haven't happened yet). Either way, the Theurgy moves in to investigate and, poof! The whole ship gets beamed inside.

Inside the ship there is more than enough room for the Theurgy to move about. It's quickly(or slowly) discovered that there is no life aboard this ship. It's just been flying in a straight line because no one remained to turn off the engines. The Theurgy being beamed inside was an automated system that was also never turned off and was set to beam in anything that entered a certain proximity.

This ship is massive, it even dwarfs the Voth City Ship.

Voyager outside the City Ship:
[Show/Hide]
Voyager inside the City Ship:
[Show/Hide]
Voth Fortress Ship Comparison:
[Show/Hide]
Size Comp 2(detail):
[Show/Hide]
Intrepid Class inside the Fortress Ship:
[Show/Hide]

It's already a canon species, and this would also fulfill the desire of those who want the Theurgy to be swallowed up by something large enough to fly around in. Granted, the ship exclusively appears in Star Trek Online. But since CBS/Paramount have deemed STO's story to be canon to the Star Trek universe, it stands to reason that in 2381 the Voth had at least one of these bad boys laying around. Could have been a prototype that malfunctioned and the entire crew died(ship jumped to warp, the IDF generators failed and the crew was turned into paste). Could have been a test bed for automated systems and during testing the ship was lost(How the F do you lose something THAT big?!). The ship could have been invaded by another life form that killed the entire crew, which is still there and doesn't show up on sensors(Halloween is coming, spooky).

Anywho, thank you for reading, and I'm happy to field any questions and ideas y'all might have to make this idea better.

[Wall of Text hits you for 9,000 points of damage.]

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #30
Hey all.

A little while back i had informed Lucan that i was a playtester for Star Trek Adventures, at my local game store. The store was singing up to be a hub for the living campaign, and through them (and a sizeable discount) i preordered the Collectors edition of the game, that included all the table top rules, as well as secondary books,about various species, departments....and missions. I told lucan that he was welcome to use anything that i got from this (as it is a hefty investment, discount aside, and by god I wanted it used!).

Today in an email from the publisher I got a notice about a volume of collected missions.  While i do not have al ink for the pdf yet (i'll get a free copy with my preorder collectors edition when it comes out) i do have the mission summaries, that i shared with him, and he suggested i post here. So without furhter delay....

Quote
Space, the Final Frontier

These are the Voyages: Volume 1 presents eight ready-to-play missions for Star Trek Adventures. Within this book Gamemasters will find the means to test their Starfleet officers at the front line of Starfleet operations. Create your own Star Trek stories of discovery and adventure on the Final Frontier. This is a 128 page full colour hardback book in print & PDF
* 8 ready to play missions using the 2d20 game system from Modiphius Entertainment adapted for Star Trek Adventures, and requires the Star Trek Adventures core rulebook to play.
* Uncover the truth about an anomalous wormhole that has trapped an older starship vessel.
* Weigh up the dilemma of the Prime Directive with an intelligent species that originates outside the confines of normal space and time, subjugated by another civilization.
* Rescue a Federation science vessel, drifting dangerously inside the Romulan Neutral Zone, avoiding an escalation into war.
* Investigate strange events on Carina VII, where a colony is rapidly disintegrating around its foundations.
* Explore a strange alien space station, containing a massive forest eco-system of its own.
* Foil plans to spread a long dead plague and uncover the truths of its origin.
* Stop the theft of an experimental torpedo and pursue its thieves to expose their plot.
* Respond to a distress signal from a mining colony in revolt and discover new life in its mines.

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #31
One of my (many) projects on the go is putting a campaign framework in the Shackleton Expanse for STA. Looking forward to torturing running a group through it at some point!
Nator 159: "I accept no responsibility for the ensign's manifest stupidity. Sir." [Show/Hide]
Ranaan Ducote: "A ship is a home; its crew a family." [Show/Hide]
T'Less: "Your odds of prevailing against us are... slim." [Show/Hide]
Valkra: "Come! We will shake the gates of Sto'Vo'Kor!" [Show/Hide]

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #32
From what i can tell, the living campaign missions that will be coming out (Free, if i remember correctly) are all set there. Our store plans to run through those as a kind of open play campaign (IE, if new players show up we dont turn them away as long as they have a valid sheet and we have enough spots at the table, ala pathfinder society)

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #33
Before I begin to compile alternatives from all the awesome ideas put forth here, I have one contribution of my own.

In many previous episodes, we had guest appearances from other starships. Like the Harbinger, the Resolve and the Orcus. So, my contribution to whatever plot we decide upon, here I present a screencap for you all. It is from a project folder I have on DeviantArt.



It is a teaser for the next starship featured in the Star Trek: Theurgy story. The USS Hekate NX-78492.

Please, continue to add ideas here, I promise it will be worth it for when I compile them into something cohesive. :)

Best,

Auctor Lucan

PS. Thank you Top Hat for the brainstorming that led to the name being settled!

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #34
From what i can tell, the living campaign missions that will be coming out (Free, if i remember correctly) are all set there. Our store plans to run through those as a kind of open play campaign (IE, if new players show up we dont turn them away as long as they have a valid sheet and we have enough spots at the table, ala pathfinder society)
They are, yeah. I have the core rules, and will likely pick up the rest as they're released. Mostly I was planning to use the hubs and relevant characters (presiding admirals, and so on) but do other things. There's all sorts of fun to be had with the Orion Syndicate in the area, as well as Romulan adventurism and, despite the ostensible partnership with the Klingon High Command to explore/exploit the volume, conflict will inevitably arise with the odd KDF ship, too. That way if my usual group (assuming I can even pin them down long enough to play!) get bored with Trekkin' we can fall back on good old pew-pew-boom.

PS. Thank you Top Hat for the brainstorming that led to the name being settled!
Any time! It was an entertaining conversation, and I got a refresher/crash course in Greek mythology when I should have been working instead :P Far more enjoyable.
Nator 159: "I accept no responsibility for the ensign's manifest stupidity. Sir." [Show/Hide]
Ranaan Ducote: "A ship is a home; its crew a family." [Show/Hide]
T'Less: "Your odds of prevailing against us are... slim." [Show/Hide]
Valkra: "Come! We will shake the gates of Sto'Vo'Kor!" [Show/Hide]

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #35


It is a teaser for the next starship featured in the Star Trek: Theurgy story. The USS Hekate NX-78492.

I suggest racing stripes.  and unless you have other ideas, I suggest the captain, XO and Second Officer are all female.

Will fit with the triple-form goddess idea. and any shuttles/fighters be named based on breeds of black dogs,  or polecats and frogs.

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #36


It is a teaser for the next starship featured in the Star Trek: Theurgy story. The USS Hekate NX-78492.

I suggest racing stripes.  and unless you have other ideas, I suggest the captain, XO and Second Officer are all female.

Will fit with the triple-form goddess idea. and any shuttles/fighters be named based on breeds of black dogs,  or polecats and frogs.

All senior officers will be colonists from major moons?

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #37
Ohh, in the fog of my illness, I had a bit of an epiphany in regard to the name of this new guest ship. :)

I realised, with some research, that the Federation has canonically not honoured the native Americans, or recognised the terrible loss of them because of Europe's colonisation. So, how can it be Starfleet is still lacking a line of starships in honour to the Iroquois tribes as of the twenty-fourth century? So, I personally feel like there is a lot more potential in using these names for this guest ship, and for the line of starships it belong to.

IROQUOIS-CLASS
  • USS Iroquois NX-78494, Prototype
  • USS Mohawk NCC-78495
  • USS Seneca NCC-78496
  • USS Oneida NCC-78497
  • USS Cayuga NCC-78498
  • USS Onondaga NCC-78499

...and the ship in question for our story would be the USS Cayuga. Better than Hekate, right? :)

I really look forward to finish the design and model of the Iroquois-class, and I think it will be really awesome.

Best,

Auctor Lucan

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #38
Iroquois is a fine name for a ship class, and has a suitably-badass history attached. Albeit from a parallel universe.
Nator 159: "I accept no responsibility for the ensign's manifest stupidity. Sir." [Show/Hide]
Ranaan Ducote: "A ship is a home; its crew a family." [Show/Hide]
T'Less: "Your odds of prevailing against us are... slim." [Show/Hide]
Valkra: "Come! We will shake the gates of Sto'Vo'Kor!" [Show/Hide]

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #39
I like the idea of the Iroquois-class, I myself have made a few nods to honoring native Americans with my custom Starfleet vessels, notably the Deganawida-class, and a member of the Deganawida line, the USS Jigonhsasee


Re: Story Workshop

Reply #41
That's an awesome name choice for ship class and vessels!!
"Relationships are not my strong suit; I deal in evenings."
 - Jaya Thorne, Asst. Chief CONN Officer, Ensign [Show/Hide]

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #42
And Iroquois is also the name of the latest, though now thoroughly decommissioned class of destroyers in the Royal Canadian Navy, and the name of the class' lead ship.  HMCS Iroquois DDG-280 was decommissioned 1 May 2015, after a service life of almost 40 years. 

She was the second ship to bear the name in Canadian service, the first one being a WW2 Tribal-class destroyer, and ships of that name have the following battle honours: Atlantic, 1943; Arctic, 1943-45; Biscay, 1943-44; Norway, 1945; Korea, 1952-53; and Arabian Sea.

She was a good ship, with a good crew and a distinguished service life.  May I ask a change from Cayuga to Iroquois?  Please?

 

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #43
I agree with CanadianVet.  I can pronounce the names of the first three ships of the class but not the rest, and Iroquois is on my spellchecker, making it easy to type even if I can't spell it.   :p



Re: Story Workshop

Reply #46
RECOMMENDED THEURGY STORY PATH

Hi there people!

After looking over all that has been posted here, I have kneaded things out into something that could work for everyone. So, without further a due, here is my recommendation for the story (but in no means only exclusively these things, since more might be added, of course). I will be reusing your writing freely here to save time, so you may recognise a few turns of phrases here and there. Figured there was no greater need for me to re-write some portions in my own words. Hope you like it.

INTERREGNUM 04-05

First, we have the current subplots, which are:

- Day 03: Away-Mission to the Coreless Moon and its Klingon outpost, resting on top of an ancient ruin.
- Day 03: Resolution of the Devoted subplot (somehow, please post in it's separate discussion thread if you have ideas)
- Day 03: Resolution of the Virus 117 plot (this was supposed to start on Day 02, where we at with the treatment?)
- Day 03: Random Meeting (Optional, but a fun exercise in having random characters meeting from different departments)

Then, on Day 04, I figure we should end the Interregnum with some cgi fireworks!

Yes, indeed, we discussed several other subplots but it seems like none of them truly stuck or were popular enough, so there is no need prolonging this interregnum further than the concluding encounter on Day 04. What happens is that the crew of the Theurgy encounter a previously unknown ancient species who primarily stick to their own affairs, as they have always done. Warp capable, with exceptionally powerful weapons. They've been monitoring Starfleet communications along with several other Alpha and Beta Quadrant societies over hundreds of years, and indeed, they have come to know about the parasites. They are, in short, the Sheromi, the ones who uplifted the Asurians.: [Show/Hide]The Asurians leaders who decided to go hunting down the Theurgy have called on aid from the Sheromi, and together, they find the Theurgy. The Sheromi has sent a large, heavily armed and armoured vessel, a carrier with its own advanced fighters. After the initial contact and skirmish (let's blow our entire CGI budget on this one), a game ensues playing cat-and-mouse in the depths of the Azure Nebula. Shields are not readily available for battle, lest the Theurgy risk getting cooked by the radiation (anti-radiation shield harmonics being incompatible with those needed for combat). For the culmination of this encounter, Thea will be running as silent as possible (no warp core, minimal power levels, no active sensors, etc), and passive sensors are almost blinded by the background mess. It will basically, our own version of the the engagement between Khan and Kirk in the Mutara Nebula, or Worf commanding the Defiant in the atmosphere of a gas giant against the Jem'Hadar, and the obligatory hunter-vs-hunter scene in every submarine movie.  A battle lasting hours while trying to come into position to deliver a single killing blow... without getting blown to bits by the sirillium gas. Moreover, the Sheromi has cloaking tech, so chXinya's lookout character Shall will have to be inventive, to say the least.

It would be up to the crew of the Theurgy to stay one step ahead, where the end of the Interregnum will have several possible resolutions depending on what you all bring to the table once we get there. I do not want to nail down the ending here in stone, since aside from the possibility of either defeating the Sheromi ship, or they loose each other in the Nebula, the crew of the Theurgy could try and convince these Sheromi that they mean no harm. Potentially, Dyan Cardamone could earn some trust and redemption when speaking with the Sheromi? Could they become new allies when loosing the Asurians? Or, aside from the Asuirans, they could be a new, even more powerful enemy. Perhaps the Sheromi has knowledge about things that the crew of the Theurgy don't and with knowledge combined, they see a broader picture.  Perhaps they simply agree that as it stands with the parasite infestation, the Federation is corrupt and must be stopped. 

Essentially, let's wait on deciding on the outcome of this encounter, but I have already started working on graphics for the Sheromi ship and fighters. *grins* These can, of course, be re-purposed for some other species if you really hate this development.

EPISODE 05: TITLE TO BE DECIDED

A) Still inside the Azure Nebula, or B) They might have escaped the Nebula in order to flee the Sheromi and Asurian forces via subspace tunnel/wormhole or whatever. Either way, long range scans detect a large unknown object approaching and the Theurgy. The crew prepare for combat while still trying to fix that which was broken by the Sheromi. Tensions rise. The large unknown object turns out to be... even more, and they might think its a whole fleet of Sheromi ships. When they can't flee any further, they decide to make a stand... only to find that what's approaching them are actually space faring life forms similar to Earth's whales (Nopefishes!). Hundreds of them, gliding by in serene beauty. Called the Dun Ghotl' in Klingon legend as they were the only ones to meet this monstrosity before. The beautiful sight offers the crew some respite from the high tension of so many previous encounters.

However all is not well when... *switches notes from the workshop* ...the crew pick up and answer a distress call from a Federation ship currently under attack. What's strange, however, is that it seems to be coming from one of the stragglers of the nopefishes. They head towards the end of the great shoal... What comes next is some classic Trek stuff.  Doing good things for good people, a strictly local plotline that only peripherally connects to the overarching story.

At the source of the distress call they find not a Nopefish, however... but a Voth Fortress Ship. The idea is that this ship appears to be following the nopefishes, perhaps having scared them and made them flee. The nature of the Voth ship is completely unknown, but the scrambled distress call seems legit, so an investigation is warranted. It's just cruising along at sublight speeds, any attempts to hail the massive ship goes unanswered. The ability to identify it would be purely based on if the Theurgy has access to Voyager's records of their encounter with the Voth. Either way, the Theurgy moves in to investigate and, poof! The whole ship gets beamed inside.

Basically, Theurgy will be doing what a Federation starship should be doing when it comes across people having a really rough day. Inside the ship there is more than enough room for the Theurgy to move about, and they find the USS Cayuga inside. A couple of things are learned from the present Starfleet crew. One, it's discovered that there is no life aboard the actual Voth ship. It's just been flying in a straight line because no one remained to turn off the engines. The Theurgy being beamed inside was an automated system that was also never turned off and was set to beam in anything that entered a certain proximity. It was also how the Cayuga was trapped inside. This ship is massive, and it could have been a prototype that malfunctioned and the entire crew died (ship jumped to warp, the IDF generators failed and the crew was turned into paste).

The second things learned is that the Theurgy and the Cayuga are not alone. The ship has "swallowed" another ship. Namely, a vengeful race of carnivorous cat people bent on a bit of galactic exploitation. So, indeed, what if the Kzinti actually got their hands on something truly terrifying... say, a Voth ship? :)

A showdown with the Kzinti ship and its crew soon ensues, fought both ship-to-ship but perhaps also in struggle to gain control of the bridge of the Voth ship. After the resolution, the Theurgy renders what aid the crew can to the Cayuga, hoping to prove that they have no hostile intents towards the Federation, just the parasites.

INTERREGNUM 05-06

The Theurgy stop at a neutral port. During that time, any number of colorful NPCs from alien merchants to who knows what could be conjured up to interact with the crew. They could either stop for resupply and then see Garak as Rez said, or gather allies within the Federation, worlds which could secretly assist the Theurgy. Worlds like Efros or Delta, or Betazed, or something. As cool as dropping in to visit one of the big Federation worlds might be, we also have to consider the fact that those world are heavily visited and monitored by other Federation vessels. I would think the Theurgy showing up in orbit around one would raise several red flags quite quickly no matter how kindly the world itself might be disposed towards the ship. Any such support would have to come through back channels in otherwise obscure sectors not frequented by Federation traffic (like perhaps in the sun shadow of that world, or on a mining facility hidden inside a gas giant within the system or in another system that race holds).

EPISODE 06 OR THE SAME INTERREGNUM

Another idea is that, given the rather character-based plotline, the encounter with another Theurgy ship from the future happens in the above interregnum too. Or it could be its own Episode. Either works. A fork in the timeline where Tholians are working on it. This doesn't make any sense until the crew realise the Tholians are trying to use history as a weapon and research, using a defeated Theurgy from a doomed timeline to cause further temporal sabotage or whatever they are up to. The Theurgy raid this Tholian base and rescue the ship and its crew, which, plot-twist... are Theurgy's crew's descendants.

The 'Other' Theurgy crew reconnects with some of their original 'parents', it seems to be interesting, romantic, almost even comic when some pairings produce interesting offspring. But then, temporal threats occur, hostile forces are spotted in the area. Perhaps the Sheromi? The other Theurgy, long story short, sacrifices itself to make it look like Theurgy is officially destroyed, while Theurgy somehow, after a bittersweet section of development and instrospection, gets itself ready for the next big fight.

FEEDBACK PLEASE?

How do you all like this set-up? I think most ideas or variations of them have been incorporated, right? Please post here and if there isn't too much objections about it, we do it this way, yes? If required, we can always have a poll about it, but then I need to know what choices/paramaters there are to take into account. :)

Oh, and no need to worry about the major storyline with the parasites and Starfleet Command. While I have not revealed much here, I mean to integrate the main storyline into the above events too. I just want to keep it as surprises for the time being... *grins*

Best,

Auctor Lucan

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #47
I like these ideas and the way you've laid them out across several episodes and interregnums makes a lot of sense.  It really freaks like episodes in the shows.

I'm curious about the future theurgy though. In this, we're assuming that the current members meet their grown children or grandchildren? Or are we taking it further than that? It's an alternate timeline so are where does the split happen? Its interesting to think about possible hook ups, marriages and other relationships and the offspring they might produce.  How will we decide that?
"Relationships are not my strong suit; I deal in evenings."
 - Jaya Thorne, Asst. Chief CONN Officer, Ensign [Show/Hide]

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #48
I posted this in the discord, but with episode 05, for names:

Migration

Also I am loving this, it feels like everyone is getting something to do, and I kind of can't wait.

Re: Story Workshop

Reply #49
Finished the graphics for the Sheromi! As you may already have seen, they were the species that made the old Asurian motherships, which are a couple of centuries old:


>> Click for Full Size


By that time, the Sheromi also used Overseer-class Research Saucers, which the Asurians (once they rebelled) weaponised a bit further. Still, the graviton beam technology used on them were more advanced than current Federation tech by that time, so by 2381, the Sheromi ought to be pretty far ahead tech-wise compared to the Federation. So, I present here the ship in question that Thea will encounter in the Azure Nebula, and its a big one (exact size to be detemined, but check the windows size):


>> Click for Full Size


As for the Sheromi interceptors, which will be fitted with forward-facing graviton beam emitters, I picked a name reminiscent to the Overseer-class, namely the Initiator-class, which fits an interceptor perfectly because of its role.


>> Click for Full Size


These are all just graphics, so tech specs will come next as I work on wiki database entries on these.

@FollowTomorrow I look forward to hearing your opinion about the Sheromi's new role in the story, but one thing I want to mention to everyone, which is kind of a spoiler, but which is too significant to not bring up at this point. I want you to look at the Sheromi ship up there again, and then look at the Calamity:


>> Click for Full Size


Do you all see the resemblance? Perhaps you should take a look at the red impulse engine exhausts on the Reaver fighters too, and look at the Initiator-class exhausts, comparing them. See what I am getting at?

The Calamity was a starship of the parasite-infested Federation, so why does it look a bit like a Sheromi vessel? Because, of course... the Sheromi leadership have been infected by the parasites too, and the Calamity was a future joint-venture between Starfleet Command and the Sheromi.

So, I hope you all like this twist. ;) It is one we can end the Interregnum with, as they see the Sheromi ship and its fighters, and how the resemblance makes them wonder what the true role of the Sheromi is in the threat to the Federation.

Best,

Auctor Lucan

 
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