User:Scamall

Scamall

Origins

I was born on the Homeworld to an unknown family. I was found in a river, in a basket of reeds. I never knew my birth parents, only the legendary clan of thieves, the Brethren of the Forest, who raised me. They taught many things, all useless in this false Cradle of machines. They often found me atop the Great Steel Tree, staring at the sky, thinking, wondering, about the great beyond; Is there life out there? Where? Will we ever find it? What will happen then? My reputation as a dreamer was such that they gave me this name: "Scamall", from the ancient language of the Gaelic tribes, meaning "Cloud".

In my later childhood I was brought to the Kingdom, where I fell in love with the lives led by the heroic Spiral Knights. I aspired to be one of them, to bring honour and glory to my people. Once I was of age, I left the forest to start my new life as a Knight. The training was tough, but my determination was as solid as the bark of the Tree where most of my childhood was spent. I was lucky enough to have a friend to help me through the trials. Her name was Cara, and without her I would have been lost.

We graduated from the Academy in time for the Council of the Spiral Wardens to announce the grand expedition to space. I was excited, to say the least. We learned that we would be a part of the Spiral Fleet, following the Flagship Skylark throughout the cosmos. I was stationed aboard the cargo carrier, the Green Rose. After a few weeks travel, we spied an odd planet with a strange terrain, as though parts of the land had been relocated. Soon after, our energy readings went off the charts, and the Skylark fell to the planet's surface. I was ordered to evacuate the ship, as it was only a matter of time before the whole Fleet fell. There was chaos. All Knights fled to the escape pods and were jettisoned towards the planet. The remainder of the Fleet's ships were dragged to the massive chasms in the planet's face, towards... gargantuan gears. The planet was mechanical! There was no time to marvel at this revelation, however, as the Fleet was dropping fast. I barely managed to make it to the escape pod. The others were not so lucky. Cara was missing, but I still refuse to accept the worst.

The Cradle

I fell from the frying pan, and, it seemed, into the fire. The crash was devastating. My vitals were damaged, and I was put in cryosleep while life support mended my broken body. I had flashes of my life up 'till that point, and I was certain I was to die there. Fortunately, the planet's radiant energy kept the life support system going long enough for me to make a full recovery. I awoke to refreshing breaths of air. Most fortunate. I checked my escape pod, and it seemed to be far too damaged to do any more. I removed the energy tank from it and transferred the energy to my suit. How very lucky that my suit can run on this endlessly replenishing supply.

I checked my HUD and, to my astonishment, the Uplink was working! The surviving Knights must have been busy in the last few- months? No, it can't be! The date must have malfunctioned... How long was I in cryo? How damaged was my body? Where... AM I? Oh, a message. It said something about a rescue camp nearby. It must have been built while I was out. What else have I missed? I decided to head out to that camp, armed with my standard-issue Proto Gear and an ample supply of questions.

The Camp

After a few hours, the sun started to set just as I arrived in the aforementioned camp. Brimming with questions, I asked the Knights in charge everything I wished to know. They gave many helpful tips and said to get to a city called Haven as soon as I could. I went to the training grounds with some fellow recruits and we learned the basics of combat in this planetary machine. I stayed in camp a day or two, checking the local vendor for supplies. I had little money, so I could ill afford the wares. The vendor, however, was twelve feet tall at least, and spoke with a rumbling voice. I was hesitant to approach him at first, as were the other recruits. He seemed friendly enough, however. It appears that these... beings are native to this world, but this one doesn't wish to engage in small-talk. Maybe there are more who can tell me about this place. To Haven!

While at camp, I received an unusual message from a fellow calling himself Saxton Hale. This gentleman also requested me to visit Haven, but for reasons that would benefit his company. How did he get this Uplink address? I hope he isn't some sort of inter-dimensional businessman. I have enough problems as is.

Safe Haven

Travelling across these immense shifting paths had taken its toll on me. I was battered, bruised, and aching. The Knights who accompanied me through the Depths were not doing so well either. Eventually, after much torment and pain, we arrived at a bright, sunny city; Haven. This sprawling metropolis has been home to many of the Spiral Order for months now. I guessed that many would be able to direct me to any source of information. Cort, a Knight patrolling the Town Square, directed me to the Arcade, and also advised me to visit the Bazaar. I strolled through on my way to this "Arcade", wondering what to buy, what quality these weapons were, and where I was going. After a while, I found myself in what appeared to be a mass of gateways to the Clockwork depths below. I approached the most important-looking Knight I could find, Lieutenant Feron. I remembered him from my training. He visited the training grounds every day to check on the recruits. He seemed to recognise me too, for he greeted me as he would an old friend. Perhaps he's just naturally friendly. He told me of his assignment from Captain Ozlo, another familiar name, to oversee a mining operation in the Clockworks. Apparently, once the Skylark went down, it lost it's primary tearium core. The Clockworks, however, have the key to getting every last Knight back home. If we could harness the boundless energy hidden deep at The Core, we could return home. We just need to acquire certain minerals in order to create a traversable path to the Core, and we should be good to go. This task sounds dangerous, but I'll give it all I have if it means getting every last Knight off this mechanical death trap. Onward!

Alliance

It's been several days, and it seems I'm no closer to getting to the Core than I was when I first got here. One thing is certain, however. The innumerable lifeforms lurking under our very feet are bloodthirsty. I would hereafter recommend travelling in a group. To get back home, every last Knight must fight as one, or perish as many. Fortunately, I have earned the repect of a fellow Knight in my travels, and we are now in constant contact should we decide to band together and fight through the Depths. This Knight is called Meekish, member of a local guild. We first fought in a dense jungle, and were nearly killed because of it. Fortunately, I managed to stay conscious long enough to shoot down the snarling beasts before they made a meal of us. Together, we made it to a small rest stop several Depths below the surface, Moorcroft Manor. Regrettably, I had no decent equipment, having just the standard Proto Gear from home. Meekish suggested we part ways for the time being, and I gladly agreed, needing time to gather better equipment. We met again the next day, in the Bazaar, while I was organising a trade with some Knights for some crafting materials. He told me of a fierce beast dwelling in the Gloaming Wildwoods. I was intrigued. He said he was mounting an expedition to slay the dreaded creature, for it had taken the lives of many inexperienced Knights. I agreed to the challenge, and we set off to kill this monster. To the Gloaming Wildwoods!

Forest of Shadows

I expected to find some simple forest, and was unnerved to find... this. I never, in all my time spent in the forest back home, imagined entering a place whose trees blocked out the sun, plunging its inhabitants into darkness. I see know how this shadowy creature preys on the unwary. I have only seen what I trust to be the eyes of the beast. Luminous, red orbs, three on each side of its dark face, glowing like the fires of Hell, radiating the monster's malevolence. Meekish seems to be focused on reaching its den, but I grow more cautious with every step I take. On our journey to the woods, we encountered a couple of Knights. One, either out of fear or lack of energy, chose to exit to Haven. The other, a Knight known as Sightt, stayed with us. As much as I admire her bravado, Sightt seems inexperienced... perhaps she, like myself, has never set foot in this cursed forest. Not too far now. Brace yourself, Snarbolax, for your end!

Lair of the Snarbolax

We found ourselves at the heart of the forest. I sensed eyes watching us, no doubt glowing red with the intent of murder. Following the path, we soon entered a large clearing, where bones littered the ground; This was it. I readied my newly-crafted Big Beast Basher, steeled for combat. The ground trembled beneath us, when suddenly the dreaded Snarbolax burst forth into the clearing. Our party dived for cover, shields raised to block the hedgehog-like spines being hurled at us like razor-sharp arrows. The beast darted left and right, dodging every attempt to strike it. How does it move so quickly? Does it simply burrow toward the smell of fresh blood? Or does it have an immense network of tunnels stretching throughout the entire forest? No time to wonder, as the monster chased after me, teeth snapping at my heels as I run for my life. Meekish and Sightt remained in the centre of the clearing, next to a thorny bushel, and a... bell. In our quest through the woods we saw similar bells that, when struck, played a sound whose frequency greatly weakened the beasts in its immediate vicinity. Perhaps... I ran toward Meekish, signalling to strike the bell when I was close enough, which he did. Success! The creature, who was completely immune to what few strikes we could make against its iron-strength spiny hide, was now stunned. No longer its original, ominous dark colour, it was now glowing yellow with vulnerability. Its six formerly red eyes were now glowing a yellowish-green. We strike! Alas, we could only damage the creature a certain amout before it flared up again, furious at our luck in finding its weakess. It's now a game of cat and mouse, with the cat becoming more and more frenzied with each successful attack against it. After what seemed like an eternity of combat, I leapt forth, rang the bell, and swung my weapon with all my remaining strength. The creature stumbled, then fell, pickaxe buried in its skull. We had won! Meekish prised several fangs from the mouth of our former opressor as I tended to Sightt, who been gravely wounded in the battle. I offered what little health I had to her, asking her to accept, and she did so gratefully. Meekish divided the fangs among us evenly as tokens of our victory, and we headed toward the exit. There were plenty of spoils, no doubt dropped by fallen Knights. As we departed for Moorcroft Manor, I wondered: This creature had taken the lives of many. With all its ferocity, it could hardly be an endangered species. Could there be more?

Armament

Once I arrived back at Haven, I realised that our journey to the Core would not be that easy. I knew I had to arm myself, but how? With what? Fortunately, my fellow Knights had the answer. The most highly-decorated Knights in the Order, the Azure Guardians, used alchemy to create their base armour, and increase its strength tenfold. I could use a primary armour for swordfighting, and perhaps some specialised armour sets for specific strategies. I spent days gathering the materials and energy, and, in time, I crafted my own Cobalt armour set. It may not be much, but it should serve me well for now. I still needed a sword, so I managed to acquire a recipe for a Calibur from Kozma the quartermaster. It appears that the Calibur is also a part of the standard-issue Cobalt set, much like the Blaster and Blast Bomb, which I also crafted afterwards. Soon after my alchemic success, I ventured back to the Clockworks to test out my new gear.

Biting the Hand

In the time following the Snarbolax's demise, it appeared I was correct. There were more. Fortunately, I have found a way to combat them, and all beasts for that matter. The fangs Meekish procured from the first Snarbolax will serve as the bedrock of this new equipment set. I took the fangs to Brinks, the token trader in the bazaar, who said he'd be happy to help me fashion them into a weapon. According to the survival guide posted in the Uplink, piercing damage is not only dealt by beasts, but is also their weakness. With the fangs, Brinks and I were able to fashion a fencing sword of sorts. He coined the term Snarble Barb as the official name of the sword. He requested that I use my new weapon to bring him more fangs to make more items. I did so, and I received a new shield, the Bristling Buckler. Lastly, though it took a while, he fashioned a bomb, the Spine Cone. I thanked him for his services, and hoped to work with him again soon. Ironic, how the beasts I slew provided me with the very weapons they are most vulnerable to.