Captain Bob and the Mesmerizing Gem
WarderDragon

Five nights have passed since Britannians answered the call of the illustrious Bob, Captain of the Royal Guard. The white-haired and apparently senile old man, who raised the alarm in response to a recent report, has been known to shout phrases such as “lawl” and other random gibberish during meetings. But as far as Britannians go, he seems competent enough.

In spite of his seeming impairment, the good captain took the stage and introduced himself, before informing the gathered mercenaries of our mission: demoniacs and other madmen had begun to appear before the manses of wealthy Britannians, often sobbing incoherently and calling out for their “master.” They appear to belong to the Cult of the Machine, an underground religious sect dedicated to transhumanism and the worship of Exodus, their Machine Lord and God. The Technocrats, as they’re called (in UO2 Lore) appear to be drawn to the Nexus’ some Britannians had been placing in their homes as trophies, connecting them to the Dark Core.

The noble Captain led us to Luna, apparently mistaking it for a Britannian city, where we encountered Chandler. After some interrogation, the raving cultist seemed to regain some momentary sense of lucidity. He revealed that, weeks before, he had been drawn to a Gem in the center of the Necromantic Colosseum in Umbra, though he could offer no more as to its purpose there. He began raving again, shouting at the top of his lungs, claiming “he’s inside each one of us.”

We turned our attention to the Necromantic Arena. And wouldn’t you know it? It was a trap! As we searched the arena, demi-human automatons and other mechanical bastards descended upon us, apparently for no other reason than to castrate Britannia in a pitched battle far from home. We managed to overcome them however, all bits and pieces intact, but by the time we managed to regroup, the Gem was gone.

Bob, who apparently was hiding the whole time, reappeared and led us to the Great Hall of Northern Britain, advising us to be on the lookout for other “mysterious gems and fragments.” Apparently they acted as conduits between the Technomancers and the mortal realm, and could be left anywhere as a means of covertly invading the Kingdom.

He is inside each and every one of us. Disturbing thought.