#sabbat worlds crusade

[lewdcookies]

00111110 01100101 01111000 01100101 01100011 00100000 01000110 01110101 01100011 01101011 00100000 01010100 01101000 01100101 01101101 00100000 01010101 01110000 00101110 01100101 01111000 01100101 -Binharic transmission from Delisia van der Laulk, Cybernetica Datasmith of Forge world Hethgamon to Kastelan Maniple Gamma Dash 2 during the battle of Aspira fields.

*** With an AdMech colour scheme established I decided to knock off the other one I had on my backlog. But this time I decided to add some splash of white for the armor, so it didn't go overboard with the metal.

Decided to swap out the head as I don't like any of the original Datasmith heads. A bit of a tight fit but I don't think a domed helmet would've worked as well in this case. This one was originally meant to be a sidekick for the Magos I painted years ago, but decided otherwise as the scheme I went for back then wasn't all that great. Almost want to repaint the Magos, but it's been varnished and probably too much of a hassle to do. Also, the first three wafers are colour coded after the Doom keys. Just because.

[thegodemperorsmycopilot]

ArtStation - Gaunt's Ghosts

[historia-vitae-magistras]

The Danegeld Axe

Part Four: Assets

First Installment: Here. Last Installment: Here. Current Installment: You are here! Next Installment: Here.

Author's note: Inspired by the 1950s short story "The Man Who Came Early" by Poul Anderson. This installment of the Viking-time-travel au sees government employees being stupid, Matthew Williams being less stupid and Arthur Kirkland finally snapping.

21st Century Washington DC Diplomatic Security Service

"Does the name Kirkland mean anything to you?"

"Costco brand home goods?" He grinned and slid a cup of shitty coffee to his executive branch counterpart. “Yeah, some aquaintance of my primary asset.”

“He’s your asset’s father, as far as anyone can tell.”

“Is that how they’re related? Huh. Good to know. The name has come up here and there.”

“Didn’t they tell you?”

“They don’t tell me shit. Everyone knows this is a cushy post. Keep the genius on board and try to keep his tinkering budget below world-ending for a couple of years. Do that, get one of the prestige posts overseas. Boom, career made. Jones hasn’t done anything but cooperate since I got here. What else did I need to know?”

“Yeah, well, he’s a well-connected genius. The father is old world money. And I mean old. The kind of money that's been bulking up interest since the crusades.”

"Jesus. Why do you ask?"

"He got wind you were looking for his other kid before he went missing."

“Matthew Williams was old European money? You’re not serious. He did grass with homeless guys in Stanley Park and drove a 78 Chevy. Everyone knows Alfred has got the brains and business sense.”

"As best anyone can tell, Alfred was probably conceived in Kirkland's navy days.”

Corcoran snorted. “Half of Boston is a Fleet Week baby.”

“Not an English fleet week, baby. No one knows. Williams was probably from Halifax or Arctic Command, maybe. No one knows their mother, if she's even the same one. They don’t live like old money, but the Kirklands spend way too much time around Downing Street to be nobodies, though.“

"There are more than one?”

“Three brothers at least. Unconfirmed but suspected sister somewhere in the mix.”

"So?"

"So tread carefully is all I'm saying. You’ve just lost his other kid on the ISS. And he’s bound to find out eventually.”

“I did what?”

British Embassy Washington D.C.

“What did you find?” Arthur sprang to his feet as soon as Matthew passed through the door. He hadn’t even gotten the fucking key out of the door before his father sprung on him.

“Nothing. Not a fucking thing. His place is in its usual state when he’s up there.” Complete chaos. Matt pressed his fingers into his temple, and the executive office and the state department were completely normal. Everything is normal. Nothing looks wrong. No one said anything. Nothing on the computers, nothing in the records.”

"Is your access still that high?”

“Of course not,” Matt snorted. “As far as the US government knows, I’ve been dead for about a year. I just use Alfred’s third set of back-ups.”

“How on earth—”

“Last time I took a northwoods sabbatical.”

“You mean the last time you had a mental breakdown and spent three months in the woods eating possum liver?"

“I prefer racoons thank you, and…” Matthew rubbed the back of his neck, preparing for the backlash. “Well, that was the second to last time.”

“What?” His father’s face was instantly furious and even more worrying, his father was concerned. “Matthew!”

He wasn’t having it. Not today. “I’m fine. I’m not the one missing from this mortal fucking plane. Point is, as far as the US government is concerned, I don’t exist.”

His father’s brain was working, his worry between Matthew standing before him and his firstborn clearly in conflict. Not on his face, never on his face, but Matthew knew what the slight flex of one hand meant. Alfred won. He always won. “And there’s no chance of them noticing? All that you’ve been doing?”

“What do you think?” Matthew snapped as he collapsed in a chair, and as fast as his temper had flared, it was gone. He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled, feeling sick where there’d been a fire a moment ago. “Sorry.”

Arthur approached gently. “You didn’t sense anything?”

“Nothing.” He pressed his palms into his eyes. “Not a fucking thing. I woke up two nights ago feeling like this and it hasn’t changed.” The sick, cold feeling was back. It was like missing organs, or his skin, or half of himself. Maybe more than half of himself.

“You should sleep. You haven’t since I arrived.”

“I can’t sleep! I need answers.”

“We can’t get answers if you collapse on me. And we will get answers.” Matt hadn’t cried so far, but Arthur pushed his hair off his face and tapped him under the jaw in that affectionate ‘chin up, lad’ sort of way, and he couldn’t stop himself. His eyes itched, but he would not cry. Instead, he buried his face in his father’s shoulder, pressing his forehead hard enough to hurt. It was pathetic. He was grown. But he couldn't bring himself to care. Alfred was lost, and his entire body felt so wrong, with only his frosted fields and forests and none of the blast of noise and life that was his brother.

“You know what? Fuck this. I brought your good knife. Let's get answers.”

[wilanserulia]

I love making OCs, but as I keep refining the design of my newest one I feel the struggle of giving good representation to all of them.

Some of them I haven't drawn in forever, while some are new and need more art to express themselves. Some are old favorites of mine who I'll draw every now and then, and some used to be favorites of mine but I haven't had new material for them in forever. Some were fun to design but they were used in short adventures and I never explored them too much. Some I used to like but I look at today and feel they'd be in need of a re-design. And some were conceptualized for adventures that haven't yet took off the ground, and maybe never will. I'm ashamed to say there's even some others I sometimes forget about.

I've decided to compile a short list, more or less in chronological order. Most of them are from DnD games or other TTRPG settings ranging from Fantasy, Cyberpunk and even Steampunk, but I'm including my two FFXIV characters in here as well as honorary OCs because of how much I've written about them.

Sorcerer of draconic descent, whose family has been killed in the Crusade's effort to close a gigantic planar rift over the Abyss, leading him to swear vengeance against demonkind.

A veteran traveling paladin, who despite his old age still puts himself in harm's way for what's right.

A swashbuckling adventurer, whose tongue is as sharp as his sword. Second-born to a rich family of bankers, he left home to pursue a selfish desire of indipendence.

Born from an accomplished barbarian king and his spellcasting trophy wife, the young McLut is slowly being overcome by a creeping sense of inadequacy as over the years he keeps failing to live up to his family's legacy.

Warrior of Light and hero of the people, Wilan slowly buckles under the ever-increasing weight of the responsabilities that come with his many titles, despite having become an adventurer over a decade prior simply moved by a simple desire of seeing the world.

Refugee from a colony of the totalitarian empire of Garlemald, Delen is slowly trying to rebuild her life in the free realm of Eorzea, where she would forge meaningful connections and, once she's come out enough of her shell, embrace the adventurer's lifestyle.

A half-elf girl who, in spite of a harsh childhood of domestic abuses and a delinquent adolescence, has managed to grow up into a cheerful, optimistic young woman thanks to the positive influence of her found family.

First-born daughter of an old aristocratic family and latest bearer of a family curse, Jane dedicated her life to academic studies and became an accomplished archaeologist. The only thing preventing the curse from taking effect is an old pact with a devil, the same devil who whispers in her ear to temp her into accepting more power.

A once successful arcanotech engineer, Roy's life fell apart after a tragic accident led to the death of his very young daughter and, subsequently, losing his job and divorcing his wife. Suffering from depression, he's adopted an unhealthy, self-destructive lifestyle both as a way to feel something and to put himself through punishment.

Hailing from a remote archipelago in the middle of the ocean to the east, Chiyu is an elf who is training in a temple that curiously fuses martial arts with percussion music. Chiyu took a sabbatical decade away from her training because she wants to experience more of the world before she's 100 years old.

Known as "Don Raskar", he's a militaristic cleric stripped of his rank and relocated to a different region of the world for abusing his authority. Determined to rise the ranks again, Raskar is not shy to throw the weight of his social status around to get what he needs.

A nomad barbarian of the robot-infested wastelands. Being born too close to a planar rift made her into a tiefling, granting her an appearance resembling a balor and command over electricity. Despite being one of the many freaks of the region, she's nonetheless an accomplished mercenary and capable fighter.

Heir to a prominent family in the airship industry, Julian has witnessed his father's empire being ripped apart by competing families following his early death. He appropriated one of the airships, the Luminaria, and fled the city to live outside the law as a sky pirate.

Despite being a naturally creative and imaginative girl, Hoshiko has put aside anything she considers too childish to meet the many, many expectations placed on her and dedicated herself to the academic study of magic. That is, until a botched familiar summoning ritual conjured forth an otherwordly magical cat, who is bound to bring chaos into her life and maybe help her reconnect with her more genuine self in the process.

[disgruntled-foreign-patriarch]

If you're taking recommendations for Warhammer novels, I strongly recommend both the Eisenhorn trilogy and the Gaunt's Ghost series. Eisenhorn is about the Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn, and his slow descent into more and more radical measures to protect the Imperium. Gaunt's Ghost meanwhile is Ciaphas Cain's darker cousin, depicting Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt his regiment, the Tanith First-and-Only, in their experiences as a part of crusade to liberate the Sabbat Worlds. Dan Abnett is a master at depicting the grimdarkness of the 40k universe, as well as having some of the more interesting depictions of Chaos, and his stories are one of the things that really got me interested in the 40k setting as a whole.

I've heard that but see my friend I have one issue:

I like fun. Gotrek and Felix gives me fun, so does Ciaphas Cain. in 40K.

The world I live in is already grimdark enough. I want heroes.

But I thank you for your recommendations...truly!

[ahzek]

Way too excited to continue our Rogue Trader Pen and Paper campaign on Tuesday...

Had my players start into the Sabbat Worlds Crusade on Tanith, meeting Ibram Gaunt and they might actually manage to prevent the planets destruction. However the space battle won't be easy!

[tecatins-thought-pile]

The v20 clan book for Brujah is flawed for many reasons (Giving a racist sheriff and South will rise again person as Brujah PC arche types was a mistake and I will call anyone who disagrees a stupid bitch), but let's be clear.

Brujah is about passion. They are loud, they are proud, and they are all to a man obsessed with something. That's what the clan curse really is and why I love the v5 alternate bane of causing aggravated damage on messiest - they're so passionate they hurt people around them in their pursuits.

You can be a Brujah who was an EMT and is determined to find a way to never kill a human being.

You can be a Brujah so obsessed with chivalry you are just flat out Don quixote.

You can be a Brujah crusader on a quest to save your love from the Tzimisce (Vtm redemption my beloved)

You can be an old fuck who saw the rise of the Sabbat and refuses to go back to that and enforced the Camarilla with an iron fist.

you can be a sabbat member who believes she's found a cause of 'liberation' (read fuck you got mine style freedom) that you preach from the roof tops.

the common thread is this; every brujah has something or someone that they are willing to go to bat for even despite their better judgment, and they will inevitably hurt themselves or others in pursuit of it because they cannot settle for less and will fight the world over it. and with their discipline spread? they can actually win.

They are the vampire as a creature of causes and passion gone wild. Civilized one moment, hissing and raging at your refusal of their generous offer the next.

if you tell me Brujah are boring? you don't know brujah.

"___ cant be brujah! I mean, their clan is all about anarchy"

PLEASE BABY GIRL PLEASE

GO PAST CLAN STEREOTYPES

THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY PRO ANARCHY

THEIR BEAST JUST DOESNT LIKE BEING CONTROLLED BUT THATS JUST THE BEAST

DONNOT LIMIT YOURSELF I BEG

HAVE FUN WITH THE CLANS DO NOT FALL FOR THE STEREOTYPES

[geektradingco-official]

Ghostmaker: A Short Story Masterpiece or a Disjointed Mess?

Ghostmaker is the second novel in Dan Abnett’s Gaunt’s Ghosts series. The novel is set during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade on the Chaos-infested world of Monthax. Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only, or Gaunt’s Ghosts, are waiting in trenches for orders to attack The book is structured as a series of interconnected short stories interspersed with a framing narrative of the…

[wh40kgallery]

Saint Sabbat

Artist Unknown

[culpableblueblood]

🎨- @/ineed-to-sleep

💜This is an in character Vampire: The Masquerade/World of Darkness Blog 💜 💥My Personal Blog - Call me Chiss👋 Any pronouns work 💥 👇Character Info 👇 [+ rules @ the bottom]

[Pinterest Link]

[TRANSMISSION BEGINS]

My opinion on the Camarilla? What a trite question. One that's surely not asked with the intent of setting me up in any way... For the record, then: We're a necessity. Cut and dry, plain and simple. The Anarch Movement, for all their grandstanding and claims to moral superiority, is not equipped in any way, shape, or form to deal with the real problems that darken our doorsteps, be they our Elders returning from their mysterious beckoning, Second Inquisition goons, or the Black Hand returning from their war games with their tails in between their legs, if the Lasombra are anything to go by. They're too disjointed, too disparate. Lacking in anything of substance other than vague appeals to ethos. Should they, God forbid, manage to actually topple the Ivory Tower, they would almost certainly turn that misguided vitriol inwards onto, cannibalizing the many and varied ideologies in a decadent show of bravado and machismo. Once the dust settles, the vitae dries, and there are no more enemies to vanquish - provided that no one had taken advantage of the chaos as members of our kind are want to do - they'll have to take a long, hard look at themselves and what they've wrought. Only then, I think, will they begin to come to similar conclusions as Hardestadt and his brood did when he gave birth to our organization. So, again, The Camarilla is a necessity. Off the record, however?

[TRANSMISSION ENDS]

A "Brief" Introduction

Name: Eliza Doyle Clan: Ventrue Pronouns: She/Her Kindred Age Range: Neonate Political Rank: Tribune [Ventrue] | N/A [New Orleans]

Familia Est Precipua. [Long, drawn out backstory that has changed in bits since its inception. Think of it as her first draft.] (link to my Tumblr blog)

[The Brood by Sam Wolfe Connelly] [Sam's Website]

Notable Merits/Advantages

Status (Camarilla) [from Sect War Veteran] [V5] INFLUENTIAL: You hold authority over part of the group, an average elder.

Clan Friendship [Toreador 🌹] [V20] Eliza has made her amity for the Roses no real secret, seemingly spending more time fraternizing amongst their ranks than she does bothering with Boardroom Meetings. This isn't to say she neglects her clanly duties - far from it, Dignitas is a valuable resource - just that the Roses very clearly hold a special place in her unbeating heart.

Notable Flaws

Disliked [The Anarch Movement]

Despised [The Sabbat]

Dark Secret [Dread Anathema!] Two members of the Coterie Doyle cobbled together to headhunt Sabbat packs defected to the Anarch Movement - taking with them wild, unsubstantiated rumors of the vilest misconduct… Any such rumors relating to Miss Doyle have long since been quelled, be they covered up or patently dismissed, but digging them up would hardly be a Sisyphean task. Were they true, the black stains marking her soul would have long since dissipated making concrete evidence particularly difficult to come by…

Loresheets

Active Participant: Camarilla War Hero/ [Sect War Veteran] To hear Harpies in Elysium relay the tales, Doyle's rise from an abject nobody - your average low level Ventrue, really - to War Hero of the Camarilla was a decade long crusade with the intent of beating the veritable horde of Sabbat "Cainites" back with a stick with her at the helm of a coterie that were no longer content with to wait and react defensively while the Sword of Caine took potshots from the shadows. When all was said and done, the coterie was afforded the prestigious title of 'War Heroes of the Camarilla' - A lofty title, no doubt, to tout with one's comrades in arms and an extremely dangerous one to lay claim to in the presence of anyone who may be looking for a leg up…

A Lineage of Title [Pure Ventrue Lineage] Descended from a lengthy list of Princes - stretching well before the Convention of Thorns was even a twinkle in Hardestadt's eye, Doyle's bloodline has no small amount repute in more politically inclined Ventrue circles.

Rules N' Such

Minors, away with you. 🫵(blocked where spotted) [have a good day, though!👋]

Note: I'm 21.

I generally try to avoid anything ~too~ pointed, but if anything ever crosses a line, please do not hesitate to lmk!!

Still new-ish to Tumblr RP, please have mercy on me; Caine bless.

I am also hella inactive.

More Art

Bust 🎨 - Cemeterygrotesque

Bust 🎨- bugcouncil

The full art of her and Damsel. 🎨- ineed-to-sleep

Two others on this post, given that they don't have formal posts of their own. [🎨- Glamfellens, vtmgremlin,]

SOURCES

Agents At Large / Tribunes (Ventrue Rank) [Clanbook: Ventrue, Revised Edition. Page 42] The Ephorate maintains a loose network of contacts and “field operatives” around the world. These Kindred are referred to as both tribunes and agents at large, and they serve as the ephors’ eyes and ears in Camarilla (and sometimes even Sabbat) cities. They have no official powers or duties, and they often do not even acknowl- edge their title publicly (a hard thing for any Ventrue). The tribunes tend to be young Ventrue who the lictors or strategoi have decided show promise. They not only have a strong track record and reputable dignitas, they also have a history of respect for their elders and the Ventrue traditions, at least some of the time. Most nights, tribunes do nothing in their titular capacity. Sometimes, though, they receive messages from the ephors (passed on by strategoi) that they must deliver to prominent local clan members. In turn, they report to their superiors what takes place in their city. Often, the city’s tribunes call upon a strategos for help rather than the city’s elders doing so. Not bound up in their own dignitas as city leaders, they usually have no qualms about asking for help when it’s needed. A tribune occasionally calls for assistance when it’s not necessary, but few make the mistake twice. The local and clanwide repercussions for such a mistake usually force the wolf-crying tribune out of office and possibly even the city. Perhaps most important of all, a tribune must be on hand to assist any lictor or strategos who comes to town. Although tribunes often hold other ranks and titles within both the Ventrue clan and the Camarilla, they are expected to put them aside and serve the Ephorate (and its entourage) first and foremost. Doing so can sometimes make local clanmates jealous and angry, but the ephors typically reward the loyalty their subordinates show them handsomely.

Pure Ventrue Lineage Loresheet [V5 Camarilla Sourcebook, p. 187]

Sect War Veteran Loresheet [V5 Corebook, p. 392]

Status Advantage [V5 Corebook, p. 194]

Clan Friendship Merit [V20 Corebook, page 489]

Despised / Disliked Flaw [V5 Corebook, p. 187]

[Miss Katherine Powell, 1909. Art by George Lambert] (Wikipedia page. He's dead.)

[eimearkuopio]

I've been reading a bit more stuff about random members of the Roman Catholic Church because of Reasons, and what struck me is the number of times it said something like "his health failed" for the good ones, and something like "he continued his crusade/mission/preaching throughout his life" for the arseholes.

Got me thinking about the concept of Shabbat and sabbaticals. It's not just meant to be every seventh day we rest. It's also meant to be every seventh year that we get to act as if the world is already good enough. And you need to have things set up properly to run that system the way it's meant to be, but it absolutely is possible.

There's also the ACAB thing, where the authority and lack of accountability associated with a career in law enforcement in the USA is the reason, not just that so many sociopathic abusive arseholes end up as cops, but that the only people who can survive that system are the sociopathic abusive arseholes and their enablers.

If you try to be a Good Cop, you will inevitably burn out or be corrupted by the bad apples or be drummed out on some excuse - or perhaps you'll become an enabler by accident, because you can't believe other cops aren't Good People too, and you can't believe Good People could ever do evil things.

If you sign up to be an authority figure in an institution that claims God will stop them from making mistakes, even if you ring-fence that claim in as many layers of red tape as you want, someone will inevitably misuse that claim. It might not even be their fault! "I'm a priest! God won't let me hurt people!" Wrong. God isn't going to stop you. Should He need to? Shepherds are fallible. Heck, sheepdogs are fallible; but if you train them right, and let them use their instincts unless you can see a genuine and specific reason not to, you can have an amazing team. Unfortunately, if you train a sheepdog poorly, it will do more harm than good and it will be your own fault. So maybe improve the quality of your shepherds.

[historia-vitae-magistras]

“They don’t tell me shit. Everyone knows this is a cushy post. Keep the genius on board and try to keep his tinkering budget below world-ending for a couple of years. Do that, get one of the prestige posts overseas. Boom, career made. Jones hasn’t done anything but cooperate since I got here. What else did I need to know?”

I love this little glimpse into Alfred's relationship with the government - the idea that they give him a "tinkering budget" that needs to be carefully managed is fun, but even more intriguing is the implication that it's a stepping stone to higher posts because there are times Jones doesn't cooperate.

“Matthew Williams was old European money? You’re not serious. He did grass with homeless guys in Stanley Park and drove a 78 Chevy. Everyone knows Alfred has got the brains and business sense.”

Okay, it's a little bit Matt's fault for smoking pot in the park, but I feel bad that even to humans viewing them as humans Alfred's the exceptional one. That's heartbreaking.

On the flip side, this whole thing was deeply amusing - a bored bureaucrat finding out that the impulsive genius and his stoner brother are the heirs to Crusades-era wealth is a funny premise, and I liked the added angle of "we know what's really going on, but how does it get explained to humans?" (Also, kudos to Brighid for being "unconfirmed" - Arthur doesn't deserve to get credited with being related to her.)

“Last time I took a northwoods sabbatical.”

“You mean the last time you had a mental breakdown and spent three months in the woods eating possum liver?"

“I prefer racoons thank you, and…” Matthew rubbed the back of his neck, preparing for the backlash. “Well, that was the second to last time.”

“What?” His father’s face was instantly furious and even more worrying, his father was concerned. “Matthew!”

Aaaaand emotion. "Northwoods sabbatical" is hilarious, but I can't decide what's more heartbreaking - Matt not telling his father about every time, or Arthur finding out that his son's been having these breakdowns more often than he thought. At least Matt knew Arthur would be upset? Like, it's horrible that he feels like he has to manage other people's feelings like that, but at least it's "it'll worry him" instead of "he won't care"?

His father’s brain was working, his worry between Matthew standing before him and his firstborn clearly in conflict. Not on his face, never on his face, but Matthew knew what the slight flex of one hand meant. Alfred won. He always won.

Seriously, you're so fucking good at balancing feeling bad for Arthur with hating him for being a shit father (and obviously feeling bad for Matt.) Like, he's worried about both of his kids. Matt's saying concerning things and that does bother him! And I feel bad for him because I'm sure he feels awful about that, and of course he's worried sick about Alfred.

But it's largely his fault that Matt acts like that, and it's precisely because Alfred always wins. He loves them so much, and I feel bad for him because of how hard this must be, but he's a shit, favorites-playing father and his pain is partially self-inflicted and deserved. And you balance that perfectly every time.

And the way you write it... "Alfred won. He always won." The resignation is absolutely heartbreaking, and Matt being able to read Arthur so well that he knows when Alfred's won - not from his face, because Arthur's good enough to keep it out of his expression, but from something as small as his hand flexing... it's a gut punch.

The sick, cold feeling was back. It was like missing organs, or his skin, or half of himself. Maybe more than half of himself.

Sobbing The poor baby... it was bad enough with the first two sentences and then "Maybe more than half of himself" actually gutted me. They're so close, but more than that - Matt's humanity is bound up with Alfred in a lot of ways. So maybe more than half of him is missing.

Alfred was lost, and his entire body felt so wrong, with only his frosted fields and forests and none of the blast of noise and life that was his brother.

I don't have much to say here, it's just that this one gutted me exactly like the last one. Matt's pain is so clear and heartbreaking, you're too good at this.

“You know what? Fuck this. I brought your good knife. Let's get answers.”

On the one hand, YAY THE MURDER MOOSE IS COMING. On the other hand, the image of them shifting from being on the verge of collapsing emotionally into that very bloodthirsty determination is still hurting me. They love Alfred so much and they're hellbent on finding him. (But also, Arthur is once again enabling/calling on the lost-humanity/violent/perfect soldier side of Matt that Alfred hates so much and I think that is a very interesting dynamic - they're motivated by how much they love him, and they're using tools he hates because they harm the brother he loves. And it's Matt's choice to a great extent, but from Alfred's perspective this would look like Arthur sacrificing Matt for his preferred son. It is very twisty emotionally.)

I was planning to go to sleep before you posted and then I dropped EVERYTHING to read. I know I'm repeating myself, but this story and every chapter in it is absolutely excellent. Thank you so, so much for this.

God your comments make my brain go brrrrr and crystalize so many of the things I'm trying to get across without being super conscious about it ahhhh.

I love this little glimpse into Alfred's relationship with the government - the idea that they give him a "tinkering budget" that needs to be carefully managed is fun, but even more intriguing is the implication that it's a stepping stone to higher posts because there are times Jones doesn't cooperate.

Oh, he very much does not cooperate when he doesn’t want to. Arthur half abandoned that kid in the 17th century, and Alfred’s been getting himself in and out of trouble for 400 years. He won't be found if he doesn't want to be found. Good luck putting a collar on a nuclear-powered half immortal with more experience getting out of nets than a fucken eel.

Okay, it's a little bit Matt's fault for smoking pot in the park, but I feel bad that even to humans viewing them as humans Alfred's the exceptional one. That's heartbreaking.

Matt’s the family burn-out freeloading off his brother’s defence budget, and he prefers it that way. No one’s up in his business like they are Alfred’s, lol. Alfred’s brain is full of bees, business and brilliance, and Matt’s been recycling the 1 serotonin for 400 years

It’s sad, but it's also very protective for Matt. Faking his death every so often is the easiest way for him to duck out responsibilities.

Aaaaand emotion. "Northwoods sabbatical" is hilarious, but I can't decide what's more heartbreaking - Matt not telling his father about every time, or Arthur finding out that his son's been having these breakdowns more often than he thought. At least Matt knew Arthur would be upset? Like, it's horrible that he feels like he has to manage other people's feelings like that, but at least it's "it'll worry him" instead of "he won't care"?

At least! Arthur is terrible, but he does give most of a fuck. gahhhh they’re killing me.

[pangolais]

character list

video games

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition

Ravanys Aldyr ♕ — Moon Elf | Swashbuckler | Chaotic Evil | ♡ Dorn | ☆

Dragon Age (Series)

Found here.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker

Lyss Pimbernickle — Bleachling Gnome | Sylvan Sorcerer | Neutral Good | ♡ Nyrissa | ☆

Rasimirra ♕ — Motherless Tiefling | Herald Caller of Rovagug | Chaotic Evil

Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Varnhold's Lot

Ziana Vzyli — Varisian Half-Elf | Thundercaller Bard | Chaotic Neutral | ♡ Maegar

Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous

Lucinus Callistan ♕ — Nidalese Human | Emissary | Fighter & Aldori Swordlord & Duelist | Trickster → Legend | Chaotic Evil | ♡ Camellia | ☆

Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous - Through The Ashes & Lord Of Nothing

Salvus Damascion — Half-Elf | River Kingdoms Daredevil | Kinetic Knight | True Neutral | ♡ Lucinus

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

Gracian von Valancius ♕ — Imperial World | Noble | Officer & Master Tactician | Biomancy | Heretical | ♡ Marazhai | ☆

Alodia von Valancius — Voidborn | Sanctioned Psyker | Soldier & Master Tactician | Pyromancy & Divination | Dogmatic | ♡ Yrliet

tabletop

Golarion (PF2e)

Cyrielle ♕ — Musetouched Aasimar Human | Cultist | Tyrant of Zon-Kuthon & Shadowcaster | Lawful Evil | ☆

Bukka — Irongut Goblin | Goblinblood Orphan | Ancestor Mystery Oracle | True Neutral

Spelljammer (D&D5e → PF2e Conversion)

Gilda Glizenstine ♕ — Autognome | Astral Drifter | Divination Wizard & Blessed One | Chaotic Good | ☆

Ravanyx Xirean ♕ — Astral Elf | Xaryxian Outcast | Animal Instinct Barbarian & Aberrant Bloodline Sorcerer & Vampire | Chaotic Evil | ☆

Homebrew Settings (PF2e)

Cybele — Yuan-Ti Abomination | Acolyte | Monk & Cleric of Dendar | Neutral Evil | ☆

Vampire: the Masquerade (V5)

Nate Black ♕ — Lasombra Fledgling | Cleaver | Anarch | ☆

Tommie — Gangrel Shovelhead | Roadside Killer | Sabbat

Lancer

Amita Arkidu ♕ — SSC Supersoldier | Skirmisher, Spotter, Technophile | Lich Frame Pilot | ☆

Warhammer 40,000 (Wrath & Glory)

Doz — Ork | Weird Boy | Pyromancy

Epsilon-Upsilon — Adeptus Mechanicus | Skitarius

Warhammer 40,000 (Black Crusade)

Gracian di Baldassari — Renegade Rogue Trader | Apostate | Slaanesh

Hrafen — Renegade Space Wolf | Sorcerer | Unaligned

[chiss-ticism]

[cracking my knuckles] Okay. So!

There's a lot that can be said for the Sabbat; a lot of it, not unjustifiably - especially from a more humanly inclined perspective, negative. But that isn't really the lump sum of its total parts.

[Cover art for Guide to the Sabbat.] (Revised Edition Sourcebook) Art by: Bill Sienkiewicz [a link to his website.]

The majority of Sabbat - those younger Cainites who were embraced without the broader context of the Anarch Revolt of yesteryear, born into an unyielding meat-grinder of war that saw a lot of the nitty-gritty details tossed to the wayside in favor of perpetually ~Riding the Wave~ - are, largely, a disjointed mess of passionate vampires who have lost sight of what it is that they are actually fighting for. I mean, in Time of Judgement: Gehenna, the end of the original World of Darkness' timeline in which - to varying degrees depending on the Gehenna Scenario you're running and which particular brand of Noddism you think is more interesting to subscribe to - the Sabbat is objectively correct about the end of the world being imminent and have been the only ones to, yet the book has this to offer:

The Sabbat: Uh... okay, so they were right about the whole Antediluvian thing. That doesn't mean they're disciplined enough to do anything effective about it. The Sabbat is the Mongol Horde of Kindred society. These Cainites are brutal, felonious, self-righteous, consumed by their own purposes and largely, a chaotic mess. Occasionally, they muster enough coincidences to keep them from shooting any more hookers in the head and occasionally win a game/Crusade, but thereafter they sink back into their mire of self-invoked monstrosity. They've got their capable individuals, sure, but even a bunch of capable individuals can't make up for the fact that the majority of its rank and file is better suited to stabbing itself in the eye and setting itself on fire than... well, anything of actual value. Add to this the fact that they don't have a leader [...]. Logically, the Sabbat should fracture, too, with maybe a few of the sect's luminaries possibly leading a subsection of the more competent ones and the rest of them proving to be the general pain in the ass they've been all along. Politics will rend the sect from within, disorder will undo it from without, and a select few of them will rise from the Ashes and take their place... wherever. Those are the ones who have the distinct pleasure of facing the Antediluvians in whatever form.

[Time of Judgement: Gehenna. Page. 17.] (Revised Era Sourcebook)

Scathing, right? So why bother giving them anything even slightly resembling a chance? For me, personally, it's a few things:

Sympathetic Origins

[The Inquisition] (Second Edition sourcebook) Art by William O’Connor [link to his website]

[I'd written about this in character before, so I'm just attaching that with relevant sources 😌]

"Let me set the scene for you," she leaned forward on the couch, elbows resting on her knees as she continues to speak animatedly. "The year is 1381 and you're one of the woefully socially underrepresented and otherwise abused masses of neonates and fledglings permeating the whole of Europe. There's fuck all in the hope department of your local village market; being bound in blood to your sire - an overwhelmingly common practice of the time - didn't give you the luxury of even that."

It was a very difficult time for the childer of Caine, probably even the most dangerous since the end of the Pax Romana et Vampirica Princes, lords, doges, caliphsv or whatever they called themselves had over-seen their domains with an iron fist for the whole Dark Medieval epoch. They thought everybody else was just as greedy as they were, so they locked themselves away in their castles and cities and trusted no one. The practice of siring as many Kindred as possible and then binding them through the blood that had made them undead was far spread. There were no minions more attentive, no fighters more loyal, and the more you had, the merrier. That worked perfectly for many, until the raging fires of the Inquisition were lit in Spain. To save themselves and keep their power, the elders sent their own progeny against the Inquisitors, who came armed with fire and faith, and numerous young childer were destroyed. Most of you, esteemed readers, know what happened next. Under cover of unrest in mortal society, the young Cainites managed to cut the ties that their sires had strengthened with their blood for so long. First, they were only a few, but almost two centuries later, their numbers had grown immensely, and not only in Spain. The sons turned against their fathers. The Anarch Movement was born.

[Encyclopaedia Vampirica, p. 73]

"Then comes along a curious kine with revolutionary ideals -- worked up about some tax or another," she waves a hand dismissively. "their personal gripes aren't relevant - their contribution didn't last for very long at all - other than to point out that it was a joint movement of kine whose its sparks lit the raging inferno that would become the Anarch Revolt. It turns out that there, and you'll never believe this, is a much better way of living than complacency." "Things only escalated from there: Mass bouts of distrust with spies ~presumably~ hiding in every dark corner, Childer on Sire violence was a main stay, diablerists ran rampant in their pursuits of power - as of yet unshackled by any sort of central power telling them to fuck off, so on so forth." "Between 1381 and 1493 - our cutoff date for the Revolt - some scholars crunched the numbers and took account of who had shown up for the Convention itself, estimating that that the vast majority of the European licks who were active at the start had either been put into torpor or, much more likely, had been taken in the cold embrace of whatever the hell is waiting for us after we die for good." [end]

On the other side of things, Hardestadt the Elder was drumming up support for the creation of the Camarilla - a coalition of Elders with the express purpose of pooling their resources together and beating back their wayward childer with brooms... It didn't really become the power house it is today until the around 1450s or so with his childer posing as him after his very-timely death at the hands of Patricia "Tyler" Boilingbroke [her sire was The Robin Hood, btw. Check her out - she's great.], leading the charge.

With the Elders putting their immense resources into one blood-stained bucket and the Spanish Inquisition was breathing hot air down everyone's frigid necks, the Anarchs were left with one of two choices: submit to the whims of the Camarilla or get put down like a dog for wanting something as simple as personal freedoms. Those who, stuck between a rock and a hard place, understandably decided that bending the knee to the Camarilla was better than ending up on an Inquisitor's torture racks became the Anarch Movement as we know it now-a-nights and those that didn't ended up forming the, nominally smaller, Sabbat. In the years to come, the Camarilla would systemically draw a blindfold over the eyes of their own childer and those of the Anarchs that reviled everything they stood for, covering up the existence of the Ancients and effectively muzzling effective praxis by being allowed to define their rules of engagement.

Not every anarch gave up so easily, however. The "decisive" return achieved by the vampires of the fledgling Camarilla, the repentant Anarchs and the vast majority of Clan [Banu Haqim] offered little in the way of of remedying the situation that had caused the situation to begin with. Enraged, these anarchs and rogue [Banu Haqim] rampaged through Thorns, leaving nothing but a burning, bloodied carcass of the town behind them. Although they had yet to organize themselves, the sect that would become the Sabbat had committed itself to its immortal course of action that night. In the half-century to follow, packs ("sabbats") of antitribu plagued the night, dragging villagers into the darkness and striking ever more precisely at the foundation of power the Camarilla was building for itself. These rebels organized themselves into a cohesive, ideological sect over those 50 years, agreeing on a rough doctrine of cause against the elders and the Antedilluvians who pulled their strings. Freedom from the Ancients' Jyhad had become the root of their purpose - even though the Lasombra and Tzimisce managed to destroy their Antediluvians, that only allowed the existing Ancients to fill the vacuum. By the mid-16th century, the entity known as the Sabbat had united in righteous opposition to the Camarilla and blind subservience to the greater evil.

[Guide to the Sabbat, p. 15] (Revised Era Sourcebook)

An aside: Their staunch adherence to the Path of Humanity at the cost of all others is one based in blending in as opposed to any claims to morality - no matter what the Kindred may try to tell you.

(Who's Who Among Vampires: Children of the Inquisition. Dominique Touraine) [2nd Edition Sourcebook] Art by: Tim Bradstreet [his website]

They're Not ALL Comically Evil (or stupid), I promise.

A lot of them are. I'm not going to waste your time and be like 'erm, actually the Sabbat are the uncontested good guys of Vampire's little corner of the World of Darkness' - that's a silly idea for a plethora of reasons I'm not here to argue with anyone about. What I am here to argue about is that they do have folks within their ranks who are dedicated to being more - doing more - than just the bare minimum in lip service to the Dark Father and that of their local Archbishop's ego. First thing's first - a clarification: a lot of the fucked up stuff you hear about the Sabbat doing is, a lot of the time, on enemy territory. The majority of them know better than to shit where they eat and those that don't are typically killed for it if they're ballsy enough to go espousing their vampiric prowess; the time isn't right to go mask off just yet.* *A lot of Cainites get away with things they shouldn't because of the Sabbat's strict adherence to personal freedoms above all else. They can't deal with people who are skirting the line without being accused of being The Man by some of their younger members. The Sabbat also intentionally leans into their stereotype as a boogeyman to make themselves less knowable, attempting to amass War Parties to hunt down anyone who can shine a light on how they actually operate on a night-to-night basis. When they're taking the war directly to the Camarilla, the intention is to put the heat on them within their own borders and wear them down through attrition. The Sabbat will do any number of things from shovel-heading to drive-by shootings on Cammies in public places [which is a masquerade breach either which way, given that they can't reasonably get back up and go about their day or let themselves be examined at a hospital.] By and large, the Elders and wise Ancilla of the Sabbat are more likely to take this whole [un]Holy War Against my Undead Grandma thing more seriously on account of having had more time to consider their lot in [un]life. The Black Hand, an adjacent death cult within a death cult that is so firmly intertwined with the Sect that most people think them to be one in the same, are the Sabbat's special operatives with stricter-than-most recruiting policies, to put it lightly. They predominantly recruit from that pool of individuals. However, if you need a more specific example of a Sabbat member having all of their marbles together and trying to espouse genuine change for the better - take the Ventrue Antitribu elder, Dominique Touraine:

At a massive Sabbat rally in Paris, Dominique asked her fellow anarchs, “What do we really offer when we offer Kindred freedom?“ "Breaking the Blood Bond is viciously hard work. Sundering the emotional, social and supernatural ties between neonate and mentor requires extraordinary temptation." "So we dangle before young Kindred the purest bait yet discovered: absolute freedom. We peddle the opportunity to act free from restraint, and that lure draws young vampires to the Sabbat like flies to honey. We tell them freedom means complete recklessness and utter irresponsibility. This has great appeal after the oppressive weight of years of domination by siblings, mentors, elders and Antediluvians in the Camarilla. So the young see the Sabbat as a chance to lead explosively violent lives with no one else to check their basest impulses.“ "But the crucial phrase is no one else.’ We all have to answer to our own inner voices about which desires to act upon. To me, freedom does not mean utter irresponsibility, but complete responsibility. It’s a chance to explore self-control and self-identity far from the stifling restrictions of the Camarilla courts. Eternity is a long time to spend not knowing who one is and what one stands for." “Most Sabbat members who have tasted the freedom that comes with inner guidelines and living by a personal code of ethics have found it infinitely more satisfying than slavish devotion to the whim of the moment. Our whims are not our will, and caprices are greater tyrants than the lords of the Camarilla. Only by living a vision greater than ourselves are we truly free.” Her words struck a chord in many anarchs, who embarked on personal quests for their own visions and senses of purpose. It also enraged the more savage members, who considered it a sneak attack on their freedom, and a tricky way to regulate their behavior in a manner they could not understand. These anarchs give the members of the Sabbat a reputation as monsters that live to kill. But many Sabbat members reject unrestrained violence for human, conscientious behavior: integrity over intimidation. These two groups wage a running battle for the ideological heart and soul of the Sabbat, and though the second group is a distinct minority, they carry great power in the eyes of the Sabbat rank and file. Though these vampires often turn to Dominique for guidance, she is likely merely to answer, “What do you think?"

[Who's Who Among Vampires: Children of the Inquisition. Page 68.] (Second Edition Sourcebook) She was present for the aforementioned Anarch Revolt, saw the formation of the Camarilla, the Anarch Movement, and the Sabbat and came to the conclusion that the Sabbat was the best avenue for genuine change available - never once losing conviction in those beliefs and continuing to encourage the younger Cainites around her to better themselves the entire way through. They're on the smaller side of the already, comparatively, small Sabbat - but proponents for eeking out something resembling an actual life beyond eternal war do exist.

[Image Source: The Red Sign, p. 4] [Revised Era Sourcebook] [Artist: Vince Locke, his website]

Culture

Other folks have mentioned the aspects of 1.) Acknowledging that you're not human anymore and that you don't really have to pretend to be. and 2.) Packs being akin to a dysfunctional family unit more than oft-mistrusted acquaintances with shared goals as they are elsewhere so I'll skip over those talking points. Whereas the Camarilla are all coworkers under the ever-watchful eye of the elders, the Anarchs (culturally speaking) vary widely from domain-to-domain, the Sabbat has a culture to call its own:

Palle Grande

The largest and most revered of the High Holidays, the Palla Grande occurs on All Hallows Eve. It is a time to celebrate the history of Caine, and re-enact small plays or pageants comprised of parables from the Book of Nod. It is a dark masquerade ball with political overtones, and usually hosts the Sect's yearly Ecumenical Council.

Fesivo Dello Estinto

The "Festival of the Dead" occurs during the second week of March. The purpose is to revel in being a vampire, provoking one's vampiric nature and celebrating immortality by laughing in the face of death.

Walpurgisnacht

This festival occurs on the 30th of April, exactly half the year around from the Palla Grande. Walpurgisnacht is the night where the Sect celebrates its founding, telling the tales of Silchester and the Anarch Revolt. It is also the holiday wherein new childer are chosen, dragged before the Sect and Embraced in a public and ritualistic fashion.

The Sacrifical Revel

The Sacrificial Revel, traditionally held in February, is a dark and thoughtful holiday. The Sabbat celebrate their freedom, tell tales of sacrifices made for the Sect in the previous year, and remember those who died for the cause over the centuries.

The Eides of Caine

The central theme of this High Holiday is that of the murder of Abel, and Caine's resulting exile from Eden. It is celebrated in late August, during the time of the first harvests, and is often celebrated through unveiling works of dark beauty, elegantly flesh-crafted masterpieces, or other artistic performances in Caine's honor.

[Caine's Chosen: The Black Hand] (Artist: Kirk Van Wormer)

Noddism + the Broader World of Darkness

I'm going to be completely honest with you - I just think Noddist lore is a grand ol' time. Book of Nod!Caine was, mostly, a sad old man who happened to invent the concept of murder [according to Demon: The Fallen] and not feel bad about that, specifically, ever. The fragments that Aristotle de Laurent and Beckett wrangled together paint a tragically compelling tale of a flawed person who tried his damnedest to do right by his childer and grandchilder, imparting the wisdom he learned over his many years of ~dubious~ undeath only to be scorned by a number of his grandchilder who, in turn, went on to kill their sires. Add onto that that God scorned him a second time over with the Deluge. Caine's city, of all vampiric cities, was the only one that required literal divine intervention to put a stop to whereas all of the others fell apart due to some variation of Cainite infighting. Ironic, is it not? All of that aside, the Sabbat is also the 'go to' if you want to deal with some of the more esoteric portions of the WoD from a vampiric perspective.

Want to piss off Werewolves? Go Dog-Tagging. ["The object of the game is to capture a werewolf, tag its ear (with tags similar to kind used by cattle ranchers), turn it loose and get the hell out of there before it comes back with friends".]

Want to deal openly with the demons and their infernalist pets or other such heresies like the Lilith-revering Bahari? The Sabbat Inquisition has you covered.

Changelings? The Kiasyd, rare as they might be, love to catch and skin 'em. You might as well talk to them before they get the chance. The Camarilla has answers to these things; but they're just veer towards secrecy in the name of dismissing the existence of these things outright or otherwise covering them up.

Viable Alternatives?

You could stick with the ever-blind Anarch Movement but I, personally, wouldn't put my money on the folks who struggled to claim large swathes of territory before the Camarilla's Elders and the Sabbat went eastward/willingly let go of their territory. This is not to mention that the Anarch Movement is a just Leftist Infighting: The Sect and that they struggle to make a lot of meaningful ground because of that. The Sabbat was held together with scotch-tape and vaulderie sludge on top of losing most of the engagements that they partook in, but for the longest time sectarian warfare was the Camarilla vs. the Sabbat [and sometimes the Anarchs were there] ignore the fact that the Sabbat, because of their own infighting, lost most of America to the Camarilla despite getting there well before they did. We don't talk about that.

The Black Hand

I think that @tzimizce summarized the Black Hand best in his big ol' post of recommendations for Sabbat sourcebooks [which I highly recommend - it's a solid list. Caine bless.] There, he wrote about Caine's Chosen: The Black Hand, a revised edition sourcebook that goes into the inner machinations of the titular Black Hand that everyone runs for the hill for when they hear their name:

Not only does this work seamlessly with the v5 timeline, it gives you an alternate, considerably smarter and more intelligent sabbat. These are not stupid shovelheads shocking you for the sake of shocking you and proving themselves 'inhuman' this is your blackops, special forces, your high end ancillae/elder special operatives who value resourcefulness and pragmatic effeciency while being considerably more zealous and actively watching out for Gehenna. I use this as a primary source for my critters because not only do I find they're more convincing but they're also dangerous. You can fight off a hoard of shovelheads you can survive a siege, but can your camarilla survive violently intelligent espionage and being churned inside out from within?

And, yeah, that's pretty much the appeal of the Black Hand. No notes.

[Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition. Page 74]

TLDR

So why the Sabbat?

Camarilla members always smell vaguely like cheese.

The Sabbat, while nominally considered a monolith by those outside of its ranks, is anything but. If you want the stereotypical murder-hobo experience, there's plenty of precedent for that. But peel back the layers of Camarilla propaganda [exacerbated by the Sabbat themselves] and you will discover a small contingent of folks who haven't forgotten their origins as abused fledglings and neonate banding together for the sake of the rights of their brothers, sisters, and siblings.

The Sabbat has always edged closer to the more ~supernatural~ elements of the World of Darkness than the Anarchs or Camarilla do on the face of things.

Anarchs also smell faintly of cheese. and are also doomed to fall down the same pitfalls now that they've taken center stage as the preeminent resistors of Camarilla oppression - all the while not having the Vaulderie to catch their fall.

The Ventrue Antitribu have little get-togethers where they dress up in knight armor. It doesn't get better than that.

Attention Sabbat Apologists

Why should I join the Sabbat? Please radicalise me

[dailyrugbytoday]

Pacific Islands squad announcements for Super Rugby 2024

New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/pacific-islands-squad-super-rugby-2024/

The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/pacific-islands-squad-super-rugby-2024/

Pacific Islands squad announcements for Super Rugby 2024

Squad announcements last week confirmed that players of Pacific Islands descent had been named in all 10 franchise teams for the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific, with the exception of the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika.

All ten franchise teams in Super Rugby have players with Fijian, Samoan, and Tongan ancestry, according to their squad rosters.

Ardie Savea, the 2023 Rugby World Cup player of the year, isn’t on the list, though.

The Hurricanes mainstay will be absent from the game as he takes a sabbatical.

The season of 2024 Super Rugby Pacific Islands begins on February 24, 2024.

Players of Pacific islands origins by teams:

Highlanders: Folau Fakatava (Hawkes Bay), Ajay Faleafaga (Otago), Jacob Ratumaituvuki-Kneepkens (Taranaki), Jona Nareki (Otago), Timoci Tavatavanawai (Tasman), Tanielu Tele’a (Auckland), Saula Ma’u (Otago)

Chiefs: Sione Ahio (Auckland), Naitoa Ah Kuoi (Bay of Plenty), Samipeni Finau (Waikato), Josh Ioane (Waikato), Kauvaka Kaivelata (Counties Manukau), Peniasi Malimali (Counties Manukau), Emoni Narawa (Bay of Plenty), Samisoni Taukei’aho (Waikato), Jimmy Tupou (Counties Manukau), Tupou Vaa’i (Taranaki).

Auckland Blues: Akira Ioane, Rieiko Ioane, Hskins Sotutu, AJ Lam, Cameron Suafoa, Jordan Lay, Caleb Clarke, Angus Ta’avao, Caleb Tangitau, Mark Tele’a, Patrick Tuipulotu, Taufa Funaki, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Joshua Fusitua, Soane Vikena

Brumbies: Allan Ala;alato’a, Noah Lolesio, Tamati Tua, Rob Valetini, Len Ikitau, Fred Kaihea, Sefo Kautai

Crusaders: Levi Aumua, Ioane Moananu, George Bower, David Havili, Sevu Reece, Jone Rova, Chay Fihaki, Manasa Mataele

Hurricanes: Siale Lauaki (Wellington), Tevita Mafileo (Bay of Plenty), Pasilio Tosi (Bay of Plenty), Asafo Aumua (Wellington), Josh Taula (Manawatū), Isaia Walker-Leawere (Hawke’s Bay), Brayden Iose (Manawatū), Du’Plessis Kirifi (Wellington), Peter Lakai (Wellington), Peter Umaga-Jensen (Wellington), Kini Naholo (Taranaki), Ngatungane Punivai (Canterbury), Salesi Rayasi (Auckland).

Rebels: Isaac Kailea, Lukhan Salakaia Loto, Filipo Daugunu, Vaiolini Ekuasi, Rob Leota, Tuaina Taii Tualima, Sam Talakai, Pone Fa’amausili, Alex Mafi, Taniela Tupou, David Felivai, Daniela Maiava,Jordan Uelese, Lebron Naea, Glen Vaihu, Divad Palu, David Vaihu

Western Force: Siosifa Amone, Feleti Kaitu’u, Felix Kalapu, Papillon Sevele, Atu Moli, Lopeti Faifua, Chase Tiatia, Issak Fines Leleiwasa, Campbell Parata, Nikolai Foliaki, Reesjan Pasito

Waratahs: Izaia Perese, Miles Amatosero, Mosese Tuipulotu, Lalakai Foketi, Langi Gleeson, Mahe Vailanu, Vuate Karawalevu, Mark Nawaqanitawase

Reds: Jordan Petaia, Peni Ravai, Richie Asiata, Taine Roiri, Jeffery Toomaa-Allen, Seru Uru, Suliasi Vunivalu, Sef Fa’agase, Hunter Paisami

The teams will play 14 regular season matches made up of 11 round-robin matches and three derby/rivalry matches across 15 rounds, with each team afforded one bye.  Pacific Islands Fixtures & Draw 2024 Super Rugby

The 12 teams have revealed their squads for the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season ahead of it.

Of the 456 players under contract, 70 are scheduled to participate in their first competitive match.

Rhys Patchell and Leigh Halfpenny, both Wales internationals, are among the new players signed for the competition. Ryan Crotty, a former All Black center, has returned to the Crusaders in the interim.

Super Rugby Pacific: Gallagher Chiefs squad named for 2024

Head coach Clayton McMillan of the Gallagher Chiefs has confirmed the 38-man team that will compete in the DHL Super Rugby Pacific in 2024.

Nine existing All Blacks are included in the updated lineup, along with eight new players (seven of whom are rookies) and two returning players: prop Reuben O’Neill and first five Kaleb Trask, who returned after a season-long hiatus in Japan.

fresh signee Jimmy Tupou will be a valuable addition to the team as he has played in Japan for the last five seasons and has run out for the Crusaders and Blues in 54 Super Rugby games.

fresh signee Jimmy Tupou will be a valuable addition to the team as he has played in Japan for the last five seasons and has run out for the Crusaders and Blues in 54 Super Rugby games.

On the other hand, in 2024, midfielder Daniel Rona, utility back Liam Coombes-Fabling, loose forwards Malachi Wrampling-Alec, Tom Florence, and Wallace Sititi, and props Kauvaka Kaivelata and Sione Ahio all land their first full-time contracts. Super Rugby Pacific: Gallagher Chiefs squad named for 2024

[rogue-trader-darrius]

1.0 The Beginning

The view of the world below from the command throne aboard the bridge was breathtaking. The verdant green in which the planet was cloaked so at odds with the colorless grey of the worlds he'd seen so far, given over to continent-spanning manufactoria and sprawling hive cities, teeming with humanity. Not this one, though. Known for his extraordinary forests, Tanith was to be but a stepping stone on his way into the Sabbat Worlds, a first station to rebuild his dynasty's influence.

"My Lord," captain Jace interrupted his thoughts, "we have a shuttle approaching us, an envoy of a local merchant requesting an audience with you."

Darrius turned to look at his shipmaster with a frown creasing his forehead. "We've been in orbit for barely an hour, this 'merchant' seems to be quite well informed... Very well," he turned to a nearby dock officer, "have them put down in Dock 3. And notify Armedius, he'll see to it that everything is in order."

Jace grinned at that. "The old gunslinger? Then I pray for this envoy to be on his best behaviour. Otherwise, we might have to send him back in pieces."

"Speaking ill of a fellow comrade-in-arms? That's not befitting of a starship captain!" Despite his hard tone, Darrius' eyes betrayed his suppressed smile. "And besides, his paranoia can be quite useful at times, as you well know, old friend."

The captain shrugged, conceding the point. "So, are you gonna take on trade negotiations now? That's hardly your area".

"Unfortunately, you're quite right. But we'll need to build up our influence in this sector, if we are to achieve anything, especially with the ongoing Imperial Crusade dominating most of the loyal worlds in this region."

"By trading wood?"

"Not just any wood, but Nalwood. It's quite sought-after by the higher circles of society for its looks and feel. And for some reason you can find it barely anywhere else but here, every attempt to cultivate Nalwood trees on other worlds has failed. The natives of course see it as a special mark of their home and protect it zealously, telling fanciful stories of moving trees and paths through the forst that change continously, appearing and vanishing over night."

"So you want to trade in haunted wood? Sounds like a great idea!"

"Don't be so superstitious", Darrius chuckled, "I imagine these stories sprang up to explain the sudden disappearance of off-worlders trying to uncover the forests secret and claim its wood for their own. So long as we don't antagonize them but trade honestly, I imagine we won't run into any problems. Or forest ghosts, for that matter."