You Just Got Schooled Group 4

[GuyFawkes]

Chapter 1: First Day Funk

Under the hot blistering sun, you walk for miles and miles. As far as your eyes can see, the land is dead. Dust flies at every light breeze that blows, but there are signs of rebirth here or there. A shrub, a patch of grass, nothing more. You would have been lost ages ago, where it not for the two distinct features that gave you your bearing: the mountains looming on the horizon before you and the stream of people trickling down towards it.

You are but one of a few tens, maybe even well over a hundred, who took this road for whatever reasons, yet all for the same purpose: to try your hand at becoming one of the elite mercenary forces in these parts of the world, the Jokers of the Blood Carnival. Wherever you may be when it all happened three years ago, the news got to you, and it lit up something within you that ultimately led you right in this very spot right now. It raised questions, and you knew the answers lied on those peaks in front of you. And so you trudge on, however weary you are, however tired you may be. You are too close to back away now.

When the thought that those peaks aren’t getting any closer slowly and steadily intensified in your starved and fatigued mind, you find yourself stand in front of your destination. At long last, you are here. But this is just the beginning of your journey. And this might just be the toughest hurdle you have to face.

*

“Up up up! Everyone up and about in five! Today is your first day. First order of business is trainee orientation. Be at the grounds in ten minutes. You don’t want to be late on your first day. You. Do. Not. Want. To. Be. Late. Now move it!”

A loud gravely bark cuts your dreams, pleasant or unpleasant as it was. It is your first day in training camp. Everything was a whirlwind yesterday, from signing up, to being assigned rooms and roommates-slash-teammates. Like you, everyone seems so different, and yet you have to work with them for the rest of your stay here. And all of that starts now.

First hurdle: training orientation.

[SaintRidley]

Ru stands at the ready, fidgeting a little with her armor. She's a little earlier than the others, and nervous to boot - her left hand keeps shifting between a dark chocolate brown, the lighter caramel brown of Rudy's skin, and the white gray color of Ru's birth. "Get a hold of yourself," she mutters, snapping the skin back to the right color.

Spoiler: Spell stuff

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Ru's left one slot each of first, second, and third level as unprepared slots should she need to pull from the Spellpool into one. All other slots (6/6/5/3, 0-3rd) today are spontaneous slots.

[Weikel]

Malkon arrives shortly after Ru, also rather early. When he arrives, wearing all his equipment, he immediately sits down, blades out in front of him, seeming to think deeply for a moment before he gets up and begins doing some stretches and sword swings. After about five minutes of this, he stands near Ru, waiting for the others. Seemingly unsure of whether or not he should strike up conversation, Malkon clears his throat once or twice and occasionally looks over at Ru before looking away and acting as though he did not look at all.

Spoiler: OOC

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Malkon readies his maneuvers (those noted with a 1 next to them on my sheet).

[SaintRidley]

Think human, Ru thinks. Don't look anything less than perfectly normal.

Ru looks over to Malkon after he's cleared his throat a few times. "Name's Rudy," she says, looking at the weapons. "Nice steel."

Spoiler: OOC

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Should I roll disguise to get an idea of how Ru's Rudy persona comes off to the wider world, or should I assume that since this is a long-term persona it's something Ru has perfected (effectively taken 20, which would be a 34 overall)?

[Weikel]

"Thanks, I took em from some bandits a while back." Then he holds out his hand for a handshake. "Name's Malkon Lehnk. I'm glad that there are at least some other humans assigned to the same group." It's quite clear that Malkon is oblivious to the fact that Ru is in fact not human.

[Cheesy74]

Igne' walks in a bit unsteadily and a bit late, pistons and servos adjusting on his armor as he sheathes a small screwdriver in his belt. Despite his deep red skin looking pale from the endless march here, he chuckles in a less-than-elvish way.

He approaches the pair making small talk and stretches his hand upward to place it on their shoulders, the enormous height disparity immediately apparent. "Glad to see I'm the runt as usual," he comments, resting his gun barrels on their arms. "Keeps things in their natural order. Name's Igne." He doesn't extend a hand, but continues smiling at the group.

[Aegis013]

Iustis arrives silently. Unsure what exactly to expect. Presently just wearing a strange combination of scholarly garb and nomadic tribal clothing, he briefly glances over the others, before taking a place among them.

"Greetings and salutations."

[SaintRidley]

Ru takes Malkon's hand, then looks down to Igne and smiles back. Upon hearing Iustis's greeting, Ru turns and gives a wave.

[AsDeR]

Arkom

Arkom is the last one to leave the quarters. He puts a hand over his eyes while they slowly adapt to the sun. Arkom loved the sun and everything it represented, but the too bight light always rebembered him he was not meant to be there.

He reached the group that shared a nights rest with him. They were apparantly formaly meeting each other. He took some time approaching them, letting them time to see him and get used to his presence.
A warm aura surrounded him in the morning air.
"Good morning." it was so awkward for him to speak to this people. They were expected to not attack him on sight or flee, so watching them stay was a new thing for him.

[Weikel]

Malkon shuffles nervously when Arkom arrives, his chest flutters a bit out of fear, so he takes a deep breath to calm it down. Then he seems to collect himself and stands a little taller, no longer slumping. Then he takes a step towards Arkom. "If we're going to be working together, I'd like to be able to stand with you comfortably. That requires getting to know you. My name is Malkon." Malkon says as he holds his hand out to Arkom. His fear is still clearly there, but for now he is in control.

[SaintRidley]

Ru looks up at the Minotaur. She took a chance with her best Giant. "Hal. Thu eart weorthlice fyrdgestealla."

Spoiler: Translation

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Good health to you. You will be a worthy comrade at arms.

[Cheesy74]

"Hey, you don't have to talk down to the fella," Igne interjects, apparently indifferent to the half-minotaur's presence. "He seems to speak Common just fine. Name's Igne, by the way, big guy. What's yours?" he addresses at Arkom with a grin, once again not extending a hand.

[SaintRidley]

Ru shakes her head at the little man in iron. "The guff you get fer tryin' to be welcoming," she sighs.

[Aegis013]

Iustis unconsciously smirks at the entrance of the Half-Minotaur. Glancing around at the diverse group, and feeling nostalgic about his first meeting with his mentor and her tribe.

He feels some comfort in knowing the powerful Half-Minotaur is supposed to be an ally.

[GuyFawkes]

The sun is still below the horizon when everyone gathers at the training grounds. You haven't had the chance to see it yesterday, but now that you do, you notice how grand it is - almost the size of coliseums, only with fewer seats around it - with the shadows from the torches making it look larger than life. It is here that you will be spending a considerable amount of your time, if ever you do last that long.

Around you there are more than a hundred other recruits, some still visibly sleepy, the rest more than fired up. Down to one side of the shorter axis of the oval that is the training grounds, a small sort-of stage stands, with a few people standing on top of it. One of them, sporting long, black hair and clad in armor, steps in front and raises his clenched fist.

"Attention all recruits!" a loud, commanding voice fills the whole grounds like it is somehow magically-amplified.

"My name is Alistaire Henderson. I am the overseer of this facility. As such, it is my duty to see to it that all the activities here go smoothly, and are done in a manner upholding the standards of the Carnival. It is also my duty to assure that all that come out of here are fit to bear the name of a Joker."

"Now, what does it take to bear the name of a Joker?" he pauses as he looks around among you.

"Courage? Yes, definitely. Courage to press on despite the odds, and more importantly, courage to fight for what you believe in. Strength. You must have the strength to back up that courage, else you will be no more than barking dogs who do not bite."

"And last, but the most important of all, is integrity. We may be mercenaries, but we are no ordinary fighting force for hire. We are the descendants who bear the name of heroes, and when you bear the name similar to them, you carry with it their values and beliefs. We may take money to swing our blade, but it does not mean we swing it without thought."

"We are not righteous men, no. We take lives, we pillage, we plunder if needed. But we have rules. We have principles, yet however few they are, we stick to them, and dishonoring them is the worst crime we can commit."

"These rules will be given to you after this orientation and be drilled into you for the course of your stay here, along with the rules you will have to observe while you stay here. Each group will be assigned an instructor, and he or she will be your instructor and guide through your whole stay here. You will receive training from other instructors, such as ones that specialize in specific subjects of training, but your main instructor will not change throughout. You can direct all your queries and concerns to them, and only them alone. You are not to elevate any issue to anyone else before them. They are the ones lined up behind me, and you will proceed to them when I finish here and begin your training."

You notice a long line of men and women standing at attention and in constant spacing from each other behind the stage.

"What else? Have I forgotten anything?" Henderson looks behind him as if asking the others' opinions, and when most of them shake their head, he looks back to you.

"Well then. That concludes this orientation. At least my part of it. You may now proceed to your group's assigned instructor for the rest of the orientation. Oh! One more thing. See that building with the smoke-belching chimney?" he points to such a building to your right. "Yeah, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, ever, go inside that building. In under no circumstance must you enter it. That is all. Good luck, and welcome to the Carnival Gates!"

On the stage, Henderson turns and walks down and off into the rear part of the stage, but does not appear to walk off to any side, just disappearing out into thin air. One of the persons behind him walks forward and speaks.

"Recruits, you may now proceed to your assigned instructors. Move by group, and in an orderly fashion. Your instructors will have an arcane mark on top of them bearing your group's name. They will give you the rest of the instructions regarding the rules and regulations of the Carnival, as well as this training facility. Move!"

The crowd begins to move, most of them orderly, but there are those who do so with blatant disregard of the instructions, talking loudly and moving haphazardly across the field. Beside those groups, however, loud blasts erupt, and you can see the man at the stage pointing at those exact locations.

"I said, in an orderly fashion. Do not make me repeat myself," is all he says, and the crowd moves as instructed.

In your searching, you manage to find your instructor somewhere in the middle between the stage and the right end of the line. Under the arcane mark bearing your group's name, you see a man with long, straight silver hair, attractive face, and wearing a simple flowing robe. All in all, the impression he gives is elegance and neatness.

"Group 4?" came a crystal clear baritone voice. "My name is Killiam. I will be your instructor starting today. Please follow me."

The man known as Killiam leads you outside the training grounds. You pass through a street running along the outside wall of the grounds, and it doesn't take long before you reach a building with lots of doors. Killiam walks towards it and enters one of the doors to the far left.

"Come inside please," he motions to all of you.

Once inside, you see that it is a small square room with a few chairs facing one side and a desk with a chair fronting the chairs. Killiam moves towards the desk and opens the drawer. Inside, he grabs some papers and places them on top of the desk before closing the drawer.

"Sit down," he points at the chairs. As soon as you all settle down, he continues. "Before I give you these, the rules of the Carnival as well as you trainees, I would like for each of you to introduce yourselves. One at a time, stand up, state your name, where you came from, what your strengths and weaknesses are, what your goals are, and what your expectations for this training camp are. Let us start with you," he points at Ru, "then the rest follow."

[SaintRidley]

Ru stands. "I'm Rudy Splork, and I come from a small village just outside Eston.." She smiles. "I guess ya'll could look at me and think 'Ah, she's a fightin' woman, ain't she.' Well, I ain't much fer physical combat, if'n you know what I mean. I prefer to bring the boom. It didn't go down well with the people back home, so they sent me to Eston to train up."

She realizes she's rambling a bit, and besides, she comes from Eston proper, and she didn't learn to bring the boom until she started studying and training, not the other way around.

So I get there, and I train and study my ass off until the magic is just coursin' through my veins, and then I did a couple years teachin' tactics. And let me tell you, when I throw fire in yer face, it hurts extra, so sometimes tactics is just fancy speak fer 'smack 'em down hard'. As fer why I'm here, well chief, I'm here to see just what I can do. They say there's limits to the kind of magic I use. I say they're fools."

More rambling, and a bit of inflation to how much time she spent teaching, and no acknowledgement of the Arcane Order. Ru decides to wrap it up, mentally cursing her Changeling tongue and its tendency to flap about.

"In short I'm here to be a Joker, and to bring the boom. Ya'll need people who can cut a feller's head off with a sword, and that's all well and good. But it helps if you got someone like me to soften 'em up first."

Spoiler: OOC

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Ru's not so great at truthtelling so little bits of this speech are lies sprinkled in among the truth. Should there be need for a bluff check on this, I'm providing a roll.

Bluff: (1d20+10)[26]

For the record, the lies are coming from out of Eston (hope it's cool I just made up a name there), having the magic before the study, people's reaction to Ru's skill with blasting magic, how long she taught (only one year), and the omission of the fact it was for the Arcane Order.

[Weikel]

Being the next in line after Ru, Malkon stands up. "My name's Malkon. I'm originally from the city of Pontzberg, but when it burned down earlier this year, I was forced to leave. I lost the last of my family in the fire, so I've been traveling ever since, barely getting enough to get by. Of course, that's what led me here. I learned the hard way that I'm pretty good with a blade. I'm very precise and know where to hit to really hurt someone. I'm also good at going unseen and unheard. I've picked up a little bit of understanding of magical devices, and I can both use them and disable them fairly well. I'm not so good at taking a hit though. I came here with the hope that it would be steady work and a way to keep myself fed and under a roof."

Spoiler

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I also made up a city name. I don't know how well it fits the setting or if you'd rather name cities, so feel free to tell me OOC if you have a better name.

[Cheesy74]

Igne stares vacantly at the wall but is jolted to attention by the few seconds of silence following Malkon's introduction. "Uh, right. It's Igne Illuvian," he begins, standing with a few clinks from poorly-oiled armor. "Recent newcomer to the material plane following a jaunt with some dwarves and a mis-inscribed rune, headed out of the mountains with a prototype of this little girl" he pauses to lovingly tap his chestplate, which glows with a dim orange energy " after bumping my head a few too many times. Around upgrade number six and a bad run-in with some well-equipped bandits, I decided to look for more consistent work, and a job posting got me here."

After another second's silence, he continues. "I've got...two flame-runed rotary cannons on my arms, a fireproofed nozzle linked to a bound elemental in my tank here in the back...couple of Martynn thaumic foci in the palms and it uses the elemental's discharge for jump jets..." he trails off. "I'm good at shooting things and setting them on fire, I guess. I'm no good with swords and axes and not that great with words, but if you want something dead, researched, or built, I'm your elf."

He sits back down, looking a bit flustered.

[AsDeR]

As the loud elf sits back down, Arkom stands up from the ground. He didn't even try to sit on one of the chairs and instead moved a couple of them away to make room for him on the floor and against the wall.
Arkom is a strange view inside a building. He is something that doesn't fit there. Like seeing a knight working a field, or a duck swimming on lava. It was off.

"I'm Arkom." sais the almost 7 feet tall creature with a strong orcish accent.
He seems to be some lesser race of minotaur, less animalistic, but still strongly monstruous. His head shows two powerful horns, his face has more snout than nose. His body is a muscle wall covered both with long fur and deep scars.
But odly enough, that's not what catches the attention when looking at him. Arkom's arms, from the elbows to the hands, look like an old broken armor mesh filled with hot coals. It's hard to imagine his arms being inside that armor, which makes it even stranger, as it would mean there's no flesh inside.
It doesn't look like Arkom minds this at all. And although some warmth can be felt arround him, the coals look about to burn out.

"I come from dark caves in the mountains. I want to find out my strengths and weaknesses here." Despite his accent and look his voice doesn't sound rude, as if someone told him how to speak with care. "And I expect to achieve revenge."
Arkom sits down, looking right before him, to nothing in particular, clenching his jaw.

[Aegis013]

Iustis shifts in his seat, and gets onto his feet. Iustis speaks with sincerity.

"My name is Iustis. Where I'm from is a bit of a difficult question for me, it seems appropriate to say that I'm from a somewhat nomadic tribe, though I was not born into it. My goal is to gain the strength to protect the helpless, and prevent tragedies in the future. I expect for this camp to provide guiding principles, to not lead us to a path of chaos, but to uphold justice and righteousness in our dealings.

He glances around to gauge the reactions of his soon to be comrades-at-arms before shifting back into his seat.

[GuyFawkes]

Killiam nods as everyone finishes. "Quite an interesting bunch we have here," he says, though his face shows anything but interest. In fact, it shows no emotion at all.

"Now we have taken that out of the way, a little test of your knowledge on different matters. First one is easy. Can anyone tell me the name of the third son of the fifth concubine of the king of the kingdom of Oas to the west of here?"

Spoiler: Royalty and Nobility DC 15

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The answer is Joaquim.

[SaintRidley]

Ru just shrugged. The only things Rudy knew about the royal family of Oas were things relating to old kings who rode into battle, not the minutiae of their genealogy.

[Cheesy74]

Igne rolls his eyes and tinkers with the binding rings on his thaumic foci. A few sparks and ominous glows emanate from his hands as he takes a tiny screwdriver to the edges.

Spoiler

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Igne has no idea about nobility or (honestly) geography of this plane in general.

[GuyFawkes]

"No one? Perhaps nobility is not in your interests. You might find it of little use to you to know about the intricacies of the few who have the power to do anything they so wished with the lives of so many, but you will soon find out otherwise. Especially in this line of work. Knowledge about who you are dealing with is key. And we will mostly be dealing with them, both as clients and as targets."

"Very well. Perhaps this is more your speed." With a few subtle movements, a figure suddenly emerges beside the instructor. The image is that of a tall, demonic-like creature, with a broad, muscular body. Two of its four arms end in clawed hands and two end in powerful pincers. It possesses a dog-like head, with two prominent horns and many smaller ones behind it, and its muzzle is full of sharp teeth.

Spoiler

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"Can anyone identify what this creature is?"

Spoiler: Iustis

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You know the creature to be a glabrezu.

[Aegis013]

Iustis responds "The creature is a Demon. A force of Chaotic Evil thought to come from the Infinite Layers of the Abyss known as a Glabrezu. These creatures often stand a dozen feet tall or more, and are both dangerous due both to their combat prowess and their cunning attempts at tempting mortals into evil." folding his arms across his chest as he speaks.

[GuyFawkes]

Killiam nods.

"At least one of you knows this. Good enough. Here," he hands the papers to Iustis. "Get one and pass. I assume you all can read? I will give you five minutes to do so, then another five for questions and clarifications."

Spoiler: Rules and Regulations of the Blood Carniva

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The Blood Carnival is an independent fighting force. As such, it owes no allegiance to any sovereign state, nation, power, entities, or individual. It does, however, lend its services to any and all sovereign states, nations, power, entities, or individuals. Such services include, but may not be limited to:

• Deployment of manpower
• Buying and/or Selling of any information of interest
• Arbitration between two or more disputing sovereign states, nations, power, entities, or individuals
• Training of standing armies and/or other military/paramilitary/militia forces

Services to be rendered shall incur remuneration, the exact details of which to be discussed and agreed upon by qualified Blood Carnival personnel and the client before such services are to be rendered. This is materialized in the form of a written contract to be signed by both parties.

All requests for services must be duly submitted through proper channels for processing. Should a request be given to a member of the Carnival, said member is to submit the request to the Requests Committee for processing and approval. Requests that are not processed and recognized by the Requests Committee shall not be honored by the Carnival as a legitimate request, and any consequence of the actions committed within that request, the Carnival shall hold no liability whatsoever.

Entering into contracts with both, or in case of multiple factions, two or more sides of any armed or unarmed conflict is strictly prohibited. This applies to all types of services the Carnival is able to render. As a corollary, any contract that deploys a Joker against other Jokers in other missions is strictly prohibited.

All contracts are to be fulfilled by any Joker assigned to the utmost of his or her ability. Failure to do so shall mean failure of the contract, and the client is relieved of any of its responsibilities stated in the contract. The assigned Joker/s is/are to undergo investigation.

All contracts are on a need-to-know basis. Only the Carnival Head Committee, the Requests Committee, and the client are to be privy of all manners of relevant information regarding the contract. Assigned Jokers are given only what is enough for them to execute their mission. Divulging of information, unless through proper request and contract, is a capital offense.

Personal conflict between two or more Jokers is strictly prohibited. If there is a need for violence to settle a dispute, the parties involved should request for an official duel, to be witnessed by three or more Jokers not involved with the said dispute.

Divulging of information regarding the Carnival to any outside entity is a capital offense.

Jokers are free to take any mission that is within his/her capabilities. At the same time, accepting of missions is not compulsory.

Compensation for Jokers is stipulated in the contract for each mission he or she undertakes. A Joker may request for additional compensation should the completion of the mission entail factors not stated in the contract, to be reviewed and approved by the Compensation Committee.

Jokers are free to utilize all facilities and amenities provided by the organization. In cases of deployment, Jokers can make use of equipment as deemed necessary for the completion of the contract.

Jokers are free to leave the Carnival at any given time. To do so, he or she must submit a formal request to the Head Committee and undergo an interview for the process to be finalized and recognized. Former members are hereby relieved of all duties and responsibilities of a Joker, as well as all privileges of one. Any Joker who does not comply with this shall be considered a full member, and thus must still abide by the rules of the organization.

Spoiler: Rules and Regulations for Recruits

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A person is considered a recruit once he or she has undergone the orientation up until he or she graduates. Basic training course lasts for two years, and another year is used for field training.

All recruits must follow the commands of the overseer.

All recruits must follow the commands of their group instructor.

In cases where the group instructor's commands conflict that of the overseer, the overseer's commands always takes priority.

In cases where the overseer's or group instructor's command is in conflict with the rules and regulations for recruits, the rules and regulations take priority.

During the course of the training, the Carnival shall provide free food and lodging for all recruits.

Recruits shall utilize a color-coding system for all matters regarding their personal belongings and those granted to them for use in training. Possession and/or use of equipment and/or objects not color-coded to the recruit is strictly prohibited.

All recruits must use standard equipment to be provided by the training facility during training, unless otherwise instructed. Use of equipment other than those provided is strictly prohibited.

All recruits can use any facility during the allotted time of use only. He or she may apply for personal use of any facility outside of such times, to be submitted to his or her group instructor, and await approval from the Training Committee. Approval is subject to availability of the facility during the time slot applied for, as well as the intended us.

All concerns and queries regarding training or other matters must be addressed to the group instructor only. Bypassing the group instructor is strictly prohibited.

All recruits must observe the proper time in eating, sleeping, and taking baths. Doing such activities outside of allotted times is strictly prohibited.

Destruction of Carnival property is strictly prohibited and penalized accordingly.

All violations shall be monitored by the group instructors and, depending on the severity of each case, shall either be considered a minor or major offense. Committing a minor offense shall earn a corresponding punishment to be decided by the group instructor. A major offense shall be elevated to the Training Committee for investigation, after which corresponding punishment shall be issued by them.

A recruit can only commit 2 major offenses. A third shall result in immediate expulsion. 3 minor offenses constitute 1 major offense.

By signing in as a recruit, a person willingly agrees to undergo all training done in this facility. He or she also agrees to abide by all the rules stated in this Rules and Regulations Guide. In case of serious injury that may result to permanent disfigurement or death, the recruit also agrees that the Carnival is not in any way liable or responsible, except for cases where foul play is found.

[AsDeR]

Arkom reads through the papers handed to him, with careful handling to not burn them.
He looks at all the prohibitions and rules, and starts feeling trapped. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
Memories of his time on the forest with the druid that trained him dance arround his mind. Right after he remembers the reason why he is here.
This is nothing. Just play along.

Arkom sees a point where he needed clarification. "Three years? How does one become a Joker faster."

[SaintRidley]

"Pursuant to that," Ru adds, "If one of us needs to put in an appearance at a campus of the Arcane Order every six months, would it be possible to arrange for a day's leave of absence in order to do so?"

[GuyFawkes]

"You don't," the instructor replies dryly to Arkom. "As for you," he looks at Ru, "that will not be necessary. We have a lot of members who are in high standing within the Order. You will report to them and do the requisite commissions through them. I will hand you the details on this later."

"Any one else who have similar concerns?"

[Aegis013]

Iustis inquires "If we generate our own equipment, is that a violation of the rules? I see it says we're only supposed to use equipment assigned and coded to us, but does that prohibit spontaneous creation of our own weapons? It seems prudent to ask now to avoid a potential infraction."