December 14, 2013

Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion, issue 3 "Treason"


Dargon is exchanging gunfire with the Royal Guard while Pinsor drags a captured and struggling Regent Galken to the hidden chamber beneath the throne room. There, Galken is shocked to learn that Mantys - now revealing his real name of Mantor - is a Keeper, as Ancient technology is activated which shows the throne room in the capital of the Dark Domain, where Devora plots against Prosperon. Galken is stunned, but comes to believe these men, who are using the cover of treason so they can investigate and fight the Dark Domain while allowing Galken to publicly brand them heretics to maintain the peace. Galken begrudgingly agrees to do so, and he plays his part as he directs fresh guards after the running trio.

December 8, 2013

Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion, issue 2 "The Deadly Fog"


Dargon, Pinsor, and Mantys are making their final preps to set out and investigate what happened to the farming village. Zak insists they let him join, but they want to keep the party light, and his fiance, Belana, is fearful for his safety. Regent Galken then intrudes, furious the Prince would put himself in danger, and continuing to spout the council's stance that the Keepers are to be blamed for the storm and peace negotiations with Devora are to be respected. He's hit with two surprises: 1) that Dargon has his father's sword, 2) that Pinsor lost family in the town which was sacked, and witnessed the atrocities committed by the Dark Domain. Galken then orders them to go ahead with the investigation, but to take no action against the Dark Domain until any evidence they gather can be presented to the council.

December 1, 2013

Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion, issue 1 "Upheaval"


On the planet of Symbion, where humanoid life has evolved from insects, slaves toil in the Dark Domain, where Empress Devora rules from her capital city, Synax. The last piece of land left for her to conquer is the collection of free kingdoms known as the Shining Realm. A treaty exists between the two sides, but Devora is already testing the waters of resistance by invading small border towns under the guise of cleansing them of heretics known as Keepers. One such village is the hometown of Pinsor, a proud knight visiting his friends and family just in time to witness them fall under Devora's forces, led by General Spidrax and his faithful lieutenant Waspax.

November 24, 2013

Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion, episode 5 "Battle of the Hyve"





Our heroes pick themselves up out of the avalanche that hit them, all largely unharmed. They spend the next 3 days wandering through snowy, wind-swept crags. Dargon tracks down some food, but cooking it attracts a pair of giant scorpions. Our heroes fight the creatures off, but lose the food.

November 16, 2013

Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion, episode 4 "Trapped in the Acid Desert"





Our heroes fight off the Viper Vines, but Zak collapses, poisoned from a bite. He tells the others to go on without him, but they decide to sidequest to a healer, the Medicine Beetle atop Mount Sectaur in the heart of the Acid Desert. Spidrax is pleased at this news and sidequests himself to keep attacking the heroes while they're at their weakest. Our heroes keep winning.

November 2, 2013

Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion, episode 3 "Valley of the Stones"





His men and beasts desperate for a brief rest, Dargon agrees to stop at a nearby inn/tavern run by a slovenly man named Ranko, whom Pinsor recognizes as the former magistrate of the Valley of Stones, who was deposed for being corrupt. Just as Ranko tries to angrily defend himself, Spidrax's forces raid the place. Our heroes fight valiantly, but with their insectoids locked in the stables out back, they're at a disadvantage, and Pinsor is taken captive with the threat to stop their pursuit if they want to see their friend alive. Out back, Ranko is paid off by Spidrax for having laced the Sybionian insectoids' hay with a potion which prevents telebonding.

October 27, 2013

Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion, episode 2 "Slave City"





Dargon and the Knights of the Shining Realm run for cover as they're fired on by Spidrax and the Dark Domain forces. The two sides duke it out until Spidrax's forces retreat. Dargon's pursuit is delayed by Pinsor hanging from a cliff. When they finally do give chase, they're then sidetracked by a giant wasp who seals them into its giant hive. Attempting to escape, Pinsor breaches a wall only to catch everybody up in a flood of golden fluid. Dargon and Dragonflyer are separated from the others and find a way out. The others hook themselves into roots over a waterfall feeding into the boiling Sea of Acid Rain. Unable to hold on much longer, they position themselves over a large log and jump, riding it on the current while worrying about how rapidly it's dissolving.

October 19, 2013

Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion, episode 1 "Spidrax Attacks"





According to the opening titles, our story is set on a distant world called Symbion (cryptic name, that). It's unclear if this is a human-like society or a future human colony, but constant biological engineering escapes scientific control, leading to rampant mutations and fusions between species. Over time, a new species evolves: the Sectaurs, a fusion of human and insect. Dargon is the leader prince of the Shining Realm, fighting an endless fight for dominance of the world with the forces of the Dark Domain, led by General Spidrax.

October 12, 2013

Starhunter, Season 1 Final Thoughts

Noel

Here's the thing about Starhunter... for a period of nearly two years, it was a short-lived show. It had been cancelled, the cast had been let go to find other work, the sets had either been tucked into storage or slated to be re-used on other low-budget scifi affairs. This show had ended. And there's a very simple reason why...

Starhunter is a bad show.

October 6, 2013

Starhunter, episode 22 "Resurrection"




We open on a video of Rudolpho, actually summing up where we are in the plot for once instead of just thinking out loud.

At a karaoke bar on Mars, a pale Eccleston (still half-dressed from when we saw him last in The Divinity Cluster) stumbles up to the stage and growls out "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". The maitre d' sneaks away to contact Navarre, but Eccleston is suddenly next to him. With a touch of Eccleston's glowing hand, the man vaporizes. In her office on a battle cruiser, Tosca listens to the intercepted call.