tomas_stanislavski@brokenworld.chaosdeathfish.com

The engineer of the good ship Misthorse, Tomas has certainly made a number of improvements to its design and function. Unfortunately, his designs can be more than a little erratic, and are possibly more entertaining if you aren't the one travelling in them…

Clan: Misthorse

”…your honour, I would like to point out Mr. Stanislavski's use of Runic Science to benefit the Union as well. Let us not forget that through removing the runes from Arbiter Kalanar and thus limiting his power, he facilitated the easy defeat of this threat, who had just admitted that he sought to wipe out all life in the world. Furthermore, when this man then tried to destroy everything around him it was Mr. Stanislavski who was able to identify what he was doing and facilitate the evacuation of Guildmistress Minver and others before they were caught up in the blast. Furthermore, I would…”

“Following demonstration of the terrible power of runes, as shown by the destruction of the fragment stack and the actions of Kalanar, and their capacity for unintended catastrophes, as shown by the recently-learned history of the Maali and the ongoing efforts to subdue the Spirit of Vermin and Pestilence released from its bindings in the Temple, this assembly recognises that it is in the best interests of the Glorious People's Union to creat the Testament Regulatory Board. The powers and responsibilities of the Board are as follows;

• To oversee the operation of the Dark Plasma Production Facility.
• To produce whatever quantities of Dark Plasma the GPU requires.
• To oversee the distribution and requisition of Dark Plasma and ensure that runes are used in a manner benifiting the GPU.
• To track and police the ownership and use of runic inscribers of all levels of power.”

“I can remember a time when we knew nothing about runes, just taking impressions of carvings on Temple walls with no idea about the secrets they held. That we have such great command of them now, able to alter reality according to our wishes, is all thanks to one man; the troubled yet brilliant Technician Tomas Stanislavski (or Jeremiah Clench as he is sometimes known). Despite the many shining lights of College, it was this nomadic engineer who gave us some understanding of the fundamental structure of reality, deciphering the characters and the method of writing and showing a natural aptitude for arcane linguistics that is yet to be rivalled. It is true, though, that many terrible things were done with runes; the destruction of the fragment stack and the massacre of the Storm Knights are two examples that spring to mind. Perhaps even in this we should be grateful, that the runes were discovered by one able to use them tempered wit some humanity; the example of Arbiter Kalanar shows us all we need to know about what happens when people use the runes solely for personal gain. Indeed, runes have had a great effect on our society, creating wonders of technology as well as freeing the Maali from their centuries-long imprisonment, locked away within their own minds. Wherever he may be, I hope that Tomas has continued to apply his great intelligence to the problems assailing our great civilization.”

- Chancellor Bastian Velen

The old man sat by the side of the road, fiddling with some strange device. Those that passed by gave him strange looks, for the wrinkles that lined his face almost seemed to be symbols, words in a strange language. He gave them no heed, instead focussing all his attention on the device in his hands. Suddenly a loud beeping blared from his backpack. The man dropped whatever he was working on, and hurriedly rooted through his pack, eventually pulling out some sort of technological device covered in the same strange writing. The man moved the device around, watching how the tone of its beeping and the movement of its components changed. After identifying a particular direction, he picked up his pack and set off.

Now wearing strange and elaborate goggles over his eyes, the old man picked his way over the rough terrain. Eventually he found himself at the foot of a cliff, with the device pointing at the top. Sighing, the man checked the straps of his pack, seemed to concentrate for a few seconds, and then started slowly rising off the ground. As he slowly floated up the cliff face, he looked around him. This region near the heart of the New World, always seemed to give you impressive views, and he could see the fields of fragments stretching as far as the eye could see. Every fragment was buzzing with life, civilisation and industry, with transport regular as clockwork on the monorail spokes connecting each fragment. The man allowed himself a smile, as he thought of the role he had played in this world's creation, saving them all from the threats of aggressive clans and the threats of aggressive gods, but there was no place in this world for him. The people viewed him with suspicion wherever he went, he could no longer get the resources he needed to carry out his research, and in any case he had something he'd been putting off for too long.

Reaching the top of the cliff, he alighted and looked about him. Though the naked eye would see little, the goggles told a different story; there was a place where the normal flow of energies through the world abruptly stopped, a hole torn in the fabric of reality. Even with the goggles, it would have been a nigh-on impossible task to locate the portal, had his friends not seen fit to place a storm beacon just outside. Switching off the signal detector, he placed his pack on the ground, taking out the bare essentials; the complex writer he had received as a reward from the freed Maali, the goggles, his runic dictionary. The rest he set aside; he wouldn't need them where he was going.

Summoning his courage, the man stepped through the portal. There was something akin to pain, as energy washed through him, over him, became him. Then h felt great relief, as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. The world around him almost defied comprehension, bursting with energy, life and general weirdness. Suddenly the newborn entity felt a presence behind it. There was another entity there, seeming somehow… sparky. It regarded what was until recently an old man with some humour. The words appeared somehow within its mind; “Finally ran off to join the Circus, eh? What took you so long?”

What had been Tomas felt happiness, and some relief. This was going to be fun.