You find yourself in E1M1

[foq]

In that case, march into battle with Yogg-Shargoth with Megadeth - Into The Lungs of Hell looping on your console.

[Shadowswift]

Lore Time!

A brief break in the main storyline for some background info about my take on the Quake universe. Hopefully, this will allow for better understanding about how the Quake world works in You Find Yourself In E1M1: An interactive Quake story and might answer some questions about stuff in the story that has made some of you raise an eyebrow.

The Military
In this timeline, the United States Military has the same 9 branches as it does in our timeline. The Marine Corps, however, has become so large and so powerful that it has developed enough of its own autonomy to create five of its own branches. They are as follows.

Grunts- The standard rank and file. Average soldiers sporting light body armor and weilding 410 shotguns. Most recruits into the USMC these days start off in this branch. While not especially skilled, they make up for that in sheer numbers.

Enforcers- Officially, Enforcers are the bigger, tougher, burlier and more skilled men that have enlisted. They are outfitted in Riot Armor and given their signature Blaster Rifles that they have grafted into their very nervous systems. No other branch in the USMC or the military as a whole are given these weapons. Some speculate, however, that lately, Enforcers are not recuited, rather they are genetically created from lesser soldiers. There has been no proof of this to date.

Rangers- The epitomy of skill in combat defines the Ranger. Armed initially with 20ga shotguns and hand axes and sometimes armored in light Riot Armor, these men take special operations to heart. While not as numerous as the Grunts, or as beefy as the Enforcers, they make up for such faults in sheer skill. Their accuracy, cunning, ingenuity, and creativity are unmatched by any other branch in the entire United States Military. These soldiers are the first ones on the battlefield, and the last ones the leave. They have the highest kills to deaths ratio of any branch of any military in human history...and they take a lot of pride in that.

Recon- Less soldiers, more scouts. These men are unarmored and are usually armed with scoped rifles and knives. They handle all the of the cloak and dagger missions that the military doesn't want you to know about. When numbers and brute strength won't win a battle, these men are usually called in with the Rangers to win battles by attrition.

Space Marines- The smallest branch in the USMC. They are typically about as skilled as an average Enforcer. They specialize in alien warfare and space combat. Initially, they are clad in plated space suits and armed with Blaster Pistols. Their role is about as much recon as it is fighting. Fun fact: most Space Marines were conscripts from Grunts, and they all pretty much hate their jobs.


It is entirely possible for a marine to transfer from one branch to another. Even though the branches are separated, they still work together as a single indestructable force. It is also possible to obtain nearly any rank within any branch, making it possible for a Grunt to out-rank a Ranger. Most marines make Officer in the Rangers, however. The lowest rank is Private, the highest rank is General of the Marines. There are several non-combat departments within the USMC, offering jobs and trades to non-combat-trained civilians. They are as follows:

Weapons Department- If it can kill a man, these guys can make it. They are responsible for keeping the corps outfitted in the deadliest arms and the saftest armor. Lieutenant Donavon works here.

Medical Department- These guys make the stims and medikits that keep you alive. They also staff the corps' medics and doctors that heal up fighting men on site.

R&D Department- These fine folks work with all of the other departments on creating new stuff. From weapons, to vehicles, to medicine, to computers, they do it all. They are the ones responsible for inventing the Console PDA. You should write them a thank you card when you get back to Earth. Lieutenant Hastings works here.

Science Department- The Scribes in this department are charged with keeping all the knowledge of the world and beyond. If it's something anyone would want to know, they likely have a book or computer file that can teach you about it. This department also employs the technicians and engineers that work with the corps and the R&D Department to fix up and fortify bases. Scribe Irish works here. Technical Sergeant Stockton used to work here, also.




Slipgates

A marvelous invention, decades in the making. The idea came from a German inventor back in the 1950's and was finally realized by the USMC's Science and R&D Departments. The idea is simple: demolecularize an object, record it as raw data, send the data over a wire to a destination thousands of miles away in mere seconds to be reconstructed atom by atom in a microsecond. The datalines, however, were "hacked" by the forces of Quake, who used their own dimensional device to magically connect to the frequency of the first working Slipgate on Earth. From there, they staged the invasion that launched the first Slipgate War, also known as the Quake War. They knew it was coming. They were waiting for it. The very moment that the first Slipgate came online, monsters poured out of it. Shub-Niggurath had been planning that invasion very carefully, probably since the first idea of the Slipgate was ever thought of.

Elder Gods

No one really knows where the Elder Gods came from, or how they came to be. They were never born, were never young, and never grew up. As far as anyone knows, they just came into being one fine day in the eternal Nether. Each one was a different conquerer from a different realm. Eons before they ever came to Earth, they were each hailed as gods by some primitive beings on whatever realm they laid claim to. Power attracted each of them to each other. Upon recognizing kinship, they found that conquest together was much more fruitful than conquest apart. So the pantheon of the Elder Gods was formed. Shortly after, Earth was made theirs and the primitive tribal humans that lived on it became their slaves. Despite the Science Department's documents on Chthon, he was never actually created by the other Elder Gods. He came into being the same way they did. He was once the most powerful of them, but very limited in intellect, even by human standards. The other gods took advantage of their brother, robbing him of some of his godly powers, but leaving his intellect dwindling. While they still recognize him as their brother, they would often treat him as their flunky. He never knew the difference. All he knew in his mind was destruction, chaos, and mayhem. Their relation (if any) to Hell and any Satanic-like influences on Quake are strictly the work of mortal minds. In the Dark Ages, when human magic was at its prime, several wizards and their knights intruded into the lands of Quake, be it by accidental Arcane Teleportation, or through intended missions of conquest. When they encountered the Elder Gods, their minds became the gods' playthings. The Wizards thought they were in true Hell and the Elder Gods and their minions were the demons of Hell. The gods were amused by this. They took the images from the minds of the mortals, what the mortals had believed Hell to be in their minds, and adopted that theme for themselves.

[[continued]]

[Shadowswift]

Character Files

-Good Guys-

-Ray
Age: 37
Alias: Ray
Current Rank: Captain
Branch: Ranger, USMC
Affiliation: USA, mankind
Favorite Weapon: Shotgun
Ray is the hero of the story. His travels and accomplishments were things of legend amongst the Grunts and Enforcers back home. All marines strive to be like him some day. Generally, he is a likable guy, though perhaps not the most cuddly individual on the planet. He loves his work, and is always looking for a new adventure before he can retire.

-Fenmoore Stockton
Age: 22
Alias: Phoenix
Current Rank: Technical Sergeant/Apprentice Scribe
Branch: Ranger/Science Department, USMC
Affiliation: USA, mankind
Favorite Weapon: Thunderbolt
Phoenix is a very bright young man. His thirst for knowledge earned him an apprenticeship in the Science Department, and his skills in combat earned him PFC in the Rangers at a fairly young age. He has no problem with authority and will just as readily take orders as he will take initiative.

-Lawrence Navejar
Age: 58
Alias: The General
Current Rank: General of the Marines
Branch: Recon, USMC
Affiliation: USA
Favorite Weapon: authority
The general is like the gruff boss you had back when you first started working in the real world. Not an easy man to like, but he'll take good care of you once he likes you. He is knowledgable and a skilled tactician and won't hesitate to send you into the line of fire if he knows you can handle the mission.

-Zack Hastings
Age: 25
Alias: none
Current Rank: Second Lieutenant
Branch: Ranger/R&D Department, USMC
Affiliation: USA, mankind
Favorite Weapon: Thunderbolt
Lt. Hastings is a quick-thinking individual who also works like the secretary at the USMC Headquarters. He is usually very bored at the HQ and hungers for combat. The highlights of his day are helping Ray and Phoenix on their mission.

-Conrad Donavon
Age: 31
Alias: none
Current Rank: Lieutenant
Branch: Enforcer/Weapons Department, USMC
Affiliation: USA, mankind
Favorite Weapon: anything new and exciting
Donavon was Phoenix's CO durring the Slipgate Wars. He has now settled into a comfortable position making weapons for the corps. He is happy to offer his advice to Ray and Phoenix on occasion.

-Brian Irish
Age: 60
Alias: none
Current Rank: Scribe
Branch: Science Department, USMC
Affiliation: USA, mankind
Favorite Weapon: knowledge
Irish makes his home in the Science Department in the USMC HQ. He knows a lot of stuff, most of it is useful. If ever Ray or Phoenix wanted to know something about an enemy faction, this guy could probably tell them whatever they want to know. Truth be told, though, a great deal of his knowledge lately has been coming from Ray and Phoenix.

-Velen
Age: at least one thousand years old, but probably older
Alias: The Death Knight Commander, DKC
Current Rank: Commander of Yogg-Shargoth's army/seneschal to Ray and Phoenix
Branch: Quake minions
Affiliation: Utterly loyal to Ray and Phoenix
Favorite Weapon: Commander's Blade
The DKC is like the stone you anchor yourself to when you are lost and confused in the lands of Quake. There is also no one you'd rather have at your side in a fight. He is, without a doubt, the mightiest Quake minion ever...and he has chosen to fight alongside our heroes.

-Darkscythe
Age: he'll never tell...
Alias: none
Current Rank: minion
Branch: Quake minions
Affiliation: Utterly devoted to Ray and Phoenix
Favorite Weapon: his claws
If a dog is man's best friend, then a Fiend like Darkscythe would be a Ranger's best friend. Darkscythe is aggresively loyal to Ray and Phoenix for saving his life, and will throw his own life on the line to protect theirs.

-Strogg Flyer X
Age: its a robot...
Alias: SFX
Current Rank: Private
Branch: Grunts, USMC
Affiliation: USA, loyal to Ray and Phoenix
Favorite Weapon: Dual Blaster Cannons
One of a few dozen conscripted Strogg Flyers, brought back to Earth and rebuilt by the Space Marines. They now serve the Grunts on Earth. Not a lot is known about this floating enigma. It chose to follow Ray around after he restored power to it. Now it fights along side him and Phoenix. It doesn't seem to have a scrap of organic matter in it, but theres something awfully....life-like about this robot.


-Bad Guys-

-The Captain
Age: 37
Alias: The Captain
Current Rank: High-ranking lieutenant
Branch: Shadow Army Masterminds
Affiliation: Shadow
Favorite Weapon: Reaper's Scythe
This is Ray corrupted and empowered by darkness. One never thought it could happen to the hero of legend...but it has. Now our best hope for salvation lies in the hands of his young protege, Phoenix.

-The Reaper
Age: immortal
Alias: Death
Current Rank: High-ranking lieutenant
Branch: Shadow Army Masterminds
Affiliation: Shadow
Favorite Weapon: Reaper's Scythe
This shadowy being is Death Incarnate, harvester of souls for the ever-growing Army of Darkness. He is quick, cunning, powerful, and impossibly skilled with the Scythe. He was killed by a powered-up Ray and his companions.

-The Beast
Age: immortal
Alias: The Beast
Current Rank: self-proclaimed drone, though really a high-ranking lieutenant
Branch: Shadow Army Masterminds
Affiliation: Shadow
Favorite Weapon: pure darkness
A gigantic Shadow monster, gifted with power over pure darkness. He seemed impervious to gunfire and energy weapons, but was killed when Ray absorbed his powersource, a Shadow Crystal inside his skull.

-Shub-Niggurath
Age: immortal
Alias: Hell Queen
Current Rank: Elder God/High-ranking lieutenant
Branch: Elder Gods (former), Shadow Army Masterminds
Affiliation: Quake minions (former), Shadow
Favorite Weapon: fear
The harbinger of war on mankind in the first Quake War, once thought completely destroyed by Ray, now brought back as a horrifying Shadow. She still maintains control over the Quake minions she ruled in life, and wills them to come to The Captain, so that he can harvest their souls and turn them into Shadows as well. She was destroyed by Phoenix.

-Yogg-Shargoth
Age: immortal
Alias: The Master
Current Rank: Elder God/High-ranking lieutenant
Branch: Elder Gods (former), Shadow Army Masterminds
Affiliation: Quake minions (former), Shadow
Favorite Weapon: his mind
Yogg-Shargoth is a powerful being. With his mastery of psychic ability, he can flay a man alive with a thought. He was killed by the Reaper and brought back as a Shadow to serve as a pawn in their Army. He now stands between Phoenix and his goal.

-Vol-Balgruth
Age: immortal
Alias: The Traitor
Current Rank: Elder God/High-ranking lieutenant
Branch: Elder Gods (former), Shadow Army Masterminds
Affiliation: himself (former), Shadow
Favorite Weapon: magic
This Elder God was once a grand master of the Arcane. Through magic, he knew how to make the impossible possible. He eventually betrayed his brother gods and was killed by them. His vengeful soul was reaped from the Nether and brought back as a Shadow. He now stands between Phoenix and his goal.

-Kargol, Hammond, and Ector
Ages: at least one thousand years old, probably older
Aliases: The Death Knight Commanders
Current Ranks: Commanders of the Quake Army (former), Shadow minions
Branch: Quake minions (former), Army of Darkness
Affiliation: Loyal to the Elder Gods (former), Shadow
Favorite Weapons: Commander's Blade
These three are the slain Death Knight Commanders that commanded alongside Velen before the Shadows invaded. Kargol and Ector were killed durring Vol-Balgruth's insurrection. Hammond was killed by the Shadows durring their invasion. They were brought back to serve the Shadow Army. Hammond and Ector were killed by Phoenix. Kargol was slain by Velen.

-Protos
Age: ?
Alias: ?
Current Rank: ?
Branch: possible Ranger?
Affiliation: ?
Favorite Weapon: ?
We know next to nothing about this guy. He seems to show up out of no where and confuse us all. At first, he seemed like he wanted to corrupt Ray, but then he turns around and offers a winning solution to Phoenix against the Shadows. Who knows what his motives are? Who knows who he really even is?

[Shadowswift]

>northeast, to unity, to Yogg-Shargoth.

> now stop footling about and go frag Yogg-Shargoth

>with Megadeth - Into The Lungs of Hell looping on your console.

You set your console's media player to Megadeth. The built-in speakers aren't amazing, but it is loud enough to echo through out the corridors you pass through. As you walk through the halls to where you believe Yogg-Shargoth is, you touch the walls. Images flash into your head. You're not sure if this is just more Arcane reverberation, or if it is Yogg playing mind games with you....but you each time you touch the walls, it feels like you are astral. You see yourself as...another Ranger...passing through the same hallways. The images become longer...your fingers pass along a long slash in the wall. Your vision blurrs...you close your eyes...


"Why did you choose me?" The robed man, scythe in hand, walks along the dark corridors of The Palace of Hate, muttering to himself.
You're the best, Captain. You were also the single greatest threat to my plans. Also, it's because you killed my champion, The Reaper.
"Yeah...heh. Sorry about that." The dark voice laughs.
Do not feel bad, Captain. You are far more skilled and have a much greater mastery of your task than that fool ever did. Besides, I rather prefer you as my most powerful pawn...than as my greatest threat. The Captain punches the wall next to him.
"I don't think I much care for your tone....master." The voice laughs again.
Forgive me, Captain. I'm still getting used to the idea of controlling a living human. It's a new experience for me. Your kind always did have its flaws, but we'll fix that soon enough. Heheheheheh... The Captain grips his scythe hard, and slashes at the wall.
"SHUT UP!! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!" He slashes all around him, blindly shouting and cursing at the voice in his head.

You open your eyes. Darkscythe tugs at your leg. You look down at him and assure him you are ok. On to battle. You check yourself and make sure everything is in order.

-Fenmore �Phoenix� Stockton-
You have 100 Health
You have 0 Armor
You are equipped with the Plasma Pistol
Your Communicator is ON
Your Console is ON

-Phoenix's Inventory-
-Ammo-
(98 ) Shells
(10) 30-06 Rounds
(100) Shadow Plasma Cells
(70) Energy Cells
-Weapons-
Grappling Hook
Maglite
Badly-Bloodied Hand Axe
Fireman�s Axe
Commander's Blade
Plasma Pistol
REALLY Super Shotgun
Enforcer's Blaster Rifle
Lightspark Rifle
Thunderbolt
-Consumables-
Biosuit
(2) Stimpak
(4) Dream Water Stims
-Miscellanious-
Brass Key
USB Flashdrive
Fully-Stocked Toolbox
Complex Networking for Dummies Manual
(2) D Cells


Hm. The lack of armor worries you a bit...but you don't know if there is much you can do about it. There are probably some Shadows or Shadowcasters around here somewhere that you can whack and take their armor. Anything else you wanna get done before you off this bastard?

>

[foq]

>salvage armor and roll out

[metchsteekle]

> can charge energy cells with plasma pistol/

[Shadowswift]

> can charge energy cells with plasma pistol/

No, for several reasons, but the most obvious ones are

1) The gun has an energy breeding cell built into the handle. It isn't the gun that charges the cell, it's the cell itself.
2) The breeder isn't shaped even nearly the same as an ordinary cell. There'd be no place to put it.
3) Attempting to remove the breeder could potentially damage the pistol beyond repair. Energy breeders are delicate things that even a skilled technician like yourself could fuck up.
4) You don't have any empty energy cells. Once they are spent, they kinda just vanish like all the ammo in this world. You wonder about that for a moment...

>salvage armor and roll out

Where did you plan to salvage this armor from, exactly?

>

[foq]

>Wherever it can be found... time to go lynch some lowly Shadows.

[foq]

>Go back to E4M3, look for shadows to loot armor from, and look for that item you left behind. Maybe you'll get that pizza you've been hungering for...

>write a love note to Ray next to Tim the Adventurer

[Shadowswift]

>Wherever it can be found... time to go lynch some lowly Shadows.

You imagine yourself in the mid 1800's surrounded by a lynch mob made up of redneck Grunts and redneck Rangers. Let's get those filthy darkskins!

...wait....

You have lost karma.

>write a love note to Ray next to Tim the Adventurer

You etch out the following next to your elaborate stone etching of Tim the Adventurer:

"Dearest Captain,
We're no strangers to love. You know the rules, and so do I.
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of. You won't get this from any other guy!
I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling. Gotta make you....understand!
Never gonna give you up! Never gonna let you down!
Never gonna run around and desert you!
Never gonna make you cry! Never gonna say goodbye!
Never gonna tell you lies and hurt you!

-Love,
Phoenix"

>Go back to E4M3, look for shadows to loot armor from, and look for that item you left behind. Maybe you'll get that pizza you've been hungering for...

You head back to the entrance. The DKC stands at attention.
"You need something, my lord?" You shake your head and inform him you are going back to the previous map. "Oh, very well. I shall accompany you, if you'd like." You nod. "As you wish."

Velen has joined your party!

You hand him back his sword and head back through the archway.

[Ethereal Travel]

You find yourself back in E4M3. Your first priority will be to get another helping of lava with your Runestone Bowl and take it over to the Silver Door to melt the lock away. You do so with all haste. You scoop up some of the silvey-white hot molten rock with your bowl and gingerly carry it over to the Silver Door. You tell your followers to stand back as you carefully pour the stuff into the lock. The lock sparks and sizzles as it melts away. The hot slag runs down the door and falls to the floor, creating a neat little pile of silvery slag. You are careful to avoid stepping on the stuff and you grip the door. As you prepare to open it, you hear mumbling on the other end. The door yields to you. On the other side are several Shadowcasters. They don't look pleased. They begin charging spells and firing them in your direction. Fire, Ice and Shadow bolts sail past your head as you duck and dodge to avoid them. If even one of those hits you, it is going to seriously hurt. You duck back to the side of the door, readying your Thunderbolt. Oh wait, if you want armor from these things, you're going to have to go for headshots. Shit. Hm....Lightspark Rifle?
"Enough of this." Velen nearly shoves you out of the way as he charges in, blade raised. Fire, Frost, and Shadow crash against his mighty body. He doesn't appear to be harmed, however.

Velen's health is very slowly falling

You've never seen such vitality. Spell after spell smashes into him, yet he just shrugs them off as if they were paper balls. That buff he got after slaying his three brothers combined with your own Bravado of the Risen Phoenix buff has turned him into a veritable tank on two legs. Blade aflame with mystic green fire, he snaps the heads off of the enemies one after another. You follow in, inspecting the mess. Wow. Five headless casters. You take their robes and distribute them.

You got five Pristine Void Armors
You now have 100 Soul Armor
Darkscythe now has 100 Soul Armor
Velen now has 200 Black Armor and 100 Soul Armor

You stash the other two for later. You search the corpses for anything else. You find some weird runic items on them. You don't know what to make of them. They are pale grey, and almost look like rings, except they are far too big to fit on your fingers, and too small to fit on your wrist. You let Velen have a look. "Very interesting. Definitely runic, but I've never seen their like before." Hm...you show them to Darkscythe. He shrugs. You hold them in front of SFX. It scans the items.
"Analysing...compiling data. This may take a while..."
You wait...and wait...and wait....after several minutes, it would appear that SFX's internet connection is hung. Either that, or compiling the data just takes an unbelievably long time. Oh well. You tell it to alert you when it has any info. "Affirmative." You stash the items.

You got three Unidentified Items

You turn your attention back to the dead Shadows. Their bodies have already begun to dissolve like an Alkaseltzer in water. You take out an empty crystal and hold it over the dissolving Shadows. The crystal sucks up the fading Shadow energy. The one crystal is able to hold the energy of all five Shadowcasters. You stow the crystal back in its bag. You look around. Anything else you wanna do before you go after Yogg-Shargoth?

>

[metchsteekle]

>examine room

[foq]

>Contact HQ and see if good old Scribe Irish knows anything about those unidentified items.

[foq]

>practice kaio-ken again

[metchsteekle]

> big kahuna burger

[Shadowswift]

>examine room

The room appears to be a long hallway, leading in from the Silver Door and cornering off to the right. You are standing in that corner, facing the Silver Door. To your left, around the corner, is a small ramp. Just before that, the hallway splits off to the right again. There isn't anything interesting in that small offshoot hallway. Beyond the ramp, the hallway corners again to the right and leads off to a door, which leads back to the East Room from the Four-Way Atrium. In this whole area, you find nothing of interest.

>Contact HQ and see if good old Scribe Irish knows anything about those unidentified items.

You call HQ.
"Irish here. Runic items, eh? Great! Have a picture?" You snap a pic with the console and send it to Irish. "Hm. Can't say I've ever seen such an item. They look like small wrist bracers, like maybe for a child. Why would the Elder Gods make such a thing?" So the Elder Gods made them? "Well, don't quote me on that. That's pure speculation. Truth be told, I have no idea what they are. They don't appear in any of my files on runic artifacts." Crap. You thank him anyway and break contact.

>practice kaio-ken again

You set down and clear your head. The psychic traffic here is quiet. You find your center quickly. Your inner strength swells within you. You feel your energy grow rapidly and a red aura errupts around you. As the strength rips through you, a sharp pain tears through your muscles. You release the strength. You feel accomplished, if not slightly in pain.

You lose 10 health.
Your skill in Kaio-ken has increased by 2
Your Kaio-ken skill is now 3/525

> big kahuna burger

SAY "WHAT" AGAIN!! SAY! "WHAT!" AGAIN! I DARE YOU! I DOUBLE-DARE YOU, MOTHERFUCKER!!! SAY "WHAT" ONE MORE GODDAMN TIME!!!!

...wow, what hostility. Where'd that come from? You need to cut down on your meat intake.