Tee, Nee and Trii - The Gnome Trio
It is a terrifying thing when a young witch first realizes and discovers their magical talents. Historically, it almost always resulted in catastrophic accidents. A fire here, a storm there. But for young Evelyn, her desire for friends manifested in her innate talent to bring life to inanimate objects. She was constantly on the move, and so she never had the chance to make friends. Her only companions were the three garden gnomes that she packed into her bag from the very first proper home she remembered living in, before she was relegated to living in apartments and motels. So, when her magic eventually revealed itself, she was ecstatic when she inadvertently used her gift to bring life into her favourite garden gnomes, her best and only friends she ever had. Tee, Nii and Trii never thought deeply about how they were brought into this world. All they knew was that they loved and cared for Evelyn, their creator. She was their whole world.
Then one day, they came for her. Strangers in the night that came to kidnap the girl. Yet despite the danger she was in, Evelyn only ever thought of her dear gnome friends and hid them from view, before the strangers took the young witch and her mother. Suddenly, in a single night, the gnomes were thrust into a world without their creator to greet them with a warm smile. While they were initially confused and lost, they eventually resolved to do whatever it takes to find and reunite with Evelyn.
Now they travel the American landscape searching for their creator. And the only hints they’ve been able to obtain so far in their travels was the name of a group who called themselves the Friends of Humanity, and an address located in the Cursed Apple.
Reeler - The Living Projecter
The OSIC and Fairfax Industries have plenty of joint ventures under their name. Was on those ventures was Project Kronos. The OSIC felt they needed an automaton of their own, like Bebop and Dynamo, but without the agency they both currently enjoyed. An automaton that was solely loyal to the OSIC and the American government. An automaton with the ability to manipulate time, if the Fairfax blueprints were reliable, which they almost always were. A counterweight to the threat posed by Paradox.
It took years, but eventually they created the perfect weapon: Project Kronos, an automaton with the ability to manipulate time and space. At first Kronos seemed to be everything the OSIC could ask for, but for one glaring flaw: Kronos also had sentience. It wasn’t obvious at first, but when it spoke its first words, the higher ups became worried. But as far as they could tell, it seemed amenable and loyal to the OSIC. But during their attempts to educate it using footage from old reels, its handlers found themselves a tad disappointed in its avid interest more in how the footage was filmed rather than its content. But it still learned what was taught of it, provided it was rewarded with more films to watch.
When the time finally came to put it to the test, Kronos was tasked to eliminate a pack of werewolves. It did its job with cold efficiency. But when its handlers ordered it to eliminate the young wolf pups as well, Kronos refused. In the films they showed it, the heroes always took down the villains but always spared the children. Slaughtering the wolf cubs was not heroic. In that moment, its handlers saw nothing but a defunct weapon too dangerous to be left to its own devices. So they were ordered to “decommission” Kronos as well as the wolf pups. Kronos fought back and defended the pups and slaughtered the agents tasked to kill them.
Now Kronos is on the run, denouncing his calling to be a weapon, and actively pursuing his goals to be a film maker and learn how to make films like the ones he watched with the OSIC. He even decided to change his name to better suit his current aspirations......
Alejandro - The Headhunter
Alejandro was one of the most reliable tour guides anyone could ask for if they wanted to venture deep into the Amazon Rainforest, and he took pride in that job. So, when an American archaeologist, Dr Alina Courtney, hired his services for an expedition into the jungle to uncover some lost ruins, Alejandro jumped at the chance to accept the offer. It was a dangerous trek and normally he would advise against it, but there was too much money for him to ignore and if they were going into the jungle anyway, they would have the best chance with him by their side.
After several grueling days of traversing the wild jungle, and after a few tragic casualties, the expedition finally reached its destination: the Lost Temple of Etsa. Alejandro had never ventured this deep into the forest and his instincts warned him not to enter. But when Dr Courtney insisted on continuing the expedition with or without his help, Alejandro felt obliged to assist them. He didn’t want their deaths on his conscience.
The temple ruins were filled with traps and the expedition lost even more men and women delving into its depths. Whenever Alejandro suggested to head back, Courtney insisted on moving forward.
When they finally found what they were looking for, there were only a handful of people left on the expedition. But Dr. Courtney didn’t seem to care. All she cared about was the golden idol resting on the pillar in the center of the large temple chamber. While all Dr Courtney saw was the find of the century, all Alejandro could see was a room full of shrunken heads on the walls, with glowing eyes glaring down at them. Before Alejandro could warn Dr. Courtney, she had already removed the idol from the pillar and activated the trap. The only entrance to the room began to close. Realizing what was happening, Dr. Courtney fled the room and escaped before the stone slab closed the room. Everyone else wasn’t so lucky.
Starving and suffocating to death was slow and torturous work. When Alejandro finally died, he was almost relieved that it was all going to be over.
Alas, fate had other plans.
When he woke up again, Alejandro found himself lying on the forest floor, almost unscathed as though he hadn’t been trekking in the rainforest for the last few days. The only key difference now, several shrunken heads hung from his belt, and his eyes now glowed with the same green light as the heads he saw in the temple chamber. He could also now hear ominous whispers compelling him to find the idol and kill whoever possessed it. While Alejandro never fashioned himself a killer, he couldn’t deny the prospect was all too appealing at the moment. After all, he still hadn’t been paid yet.
Where did Dr. Courtney say she was from again? Was it New York?
It is a terrifying thing when a young witch first realizes and discovers their magical talents. Historically, it almost always resulted in catastrophic accidents. A fire here, a storm there. But for young Evelyn, her desire for friends manifested in her innate talent to bring life to inanimate objects. She was constantly on the move, and so she never had the chance to make friends. Her only companions were the three garden gnomes that she packed into her bag from the very first proper home she remembered living in, before she was relegated to living in apartments and motels. So, when her magic eventually revealed itself, she was ecstatic when she inadvertently used her gift to bring life into her favourite garden gnomes, her best and only friends she ever had. Tee, Nii and Trii never thought deeply about how they were brought into this world. All they knew was that they loved and cared for Evelyn, their creator. She was their whole world.
Then one day, they came for her. Strangers in the night that came to kidnap the girl. Yet despite the danger she was in, Evelyn only ever thought of her dear gnome friends and hid them from view, before the strangers took the young witch and her mother. Suddenly, in a single night, the gnomes were thrust into a world without their creator to greet them with a warm smile. While they were initially confused and lost, they eventually resolved to do whatever it takes to find and reunite with Evelyn.
Now they travel the American landscape searching for their creator. And the only hints they’ve been able to obtain so far in their travels was the name of a group who called themselves the Friends of Humanity, and an address located in the Cursed Apple.
Reeler - The Living Projecter
The OSIC and Fairfax Industries have plenty of joint ventures under their name. Was on those ventures was Project Kronos. The OSIC felt they needed an automaton of their own, like Bebop and Dynamo, but without the agency they both currently enjoyed. An automaton that was solely loyal to the OSIC and the American government. An automaton with the ability to manipulate time, if the Fairfax blueprints were reliable, which they almost always were. A counterweight to the threat posed by Paradox.
It took years, but eventually they created the perfect weapon: Project Kronos, an automaton with the ability to manipulate time and space. At first Kronos seemed to be everything the OSIC could ask for, but for one glaring flaw: Kronos also had sentience. It wasn’t obvious at first, but when it spoke its first words, the higher ups became worried. But as far as they could tell, it seemed amenable and loyal to the OSIC. But during their attempts to educate it using footage from old reels, its handlers found themselves a tad disappointed in its avid interest more in how the footage was filmed rather than its content. But it still learned what was taught of it, provided it was rewarded with more films to watch.
When the time finally came to put it to the test, Kronos was tasked to eliminate a pack of werewolves. It did its job with cold efficiency. But when its handlers ordered it to eliminate the young wolf pups as well, Kronos refused. In the films they showed it, the heroes always took down the villains but always spared the children. Slaughtering the wolf cubs was not heroic. In that moment, its handlers saw nothing but a defunct weapon too dangerous to be left to its own devices. So they were ordered to “decommission” Kronos as well as the wolf pups. Kronos fought back and defended the pups and slaughtered the agents tasked to kill them.
Now Kronos is on the run, denouncing his calling to be a weapon, and actively pursuing his goals to be a film maker and learn how to make films like the ones he watched with the OSIC. He even decided to change his name to better suit his current aspirations......
Alejandro - The Headhunter
Alejandro was one of the most reliable tour guides anyone could ask for if they wanted to venture deep into the Amazon Rainforest, and he took pride in that job. So, when an American archaeologist, Dr Alina Courtney, hired his services for an expedition into the jungle to uncover some lost ruins, Alejandro jumped at the chance to accept the offer. It was a dangerous trek and normally he would advise against it, but there was too much money for him to ignore and if they were going into the jungle anyway, they would have the best chance with him by their side.
After several grueling days of traversing the wild jungle, and after a few tragic casualties, the expedition finally reached its destination: the Lost Temple of Etsa. Alejandro had never ventured this deep into the forest and his instincts warned him not to enter. But when Dr Courtney insisted on continuing the expedition with or without his help, Alejandro felt obliged to assist them. He didn’t want their deaths on his conscience.
The temple ruins were filled with traps and the expedition lost even more men and women delving into its depths. Whenever Alejandro suggested to head back, Courtney insisted on moving forward.
When they finally found what they were looking for, there were only a handful of people left on the expedition. But Dr. Courtney didn’t seem to care. All she cared about was the golden idol resting on the pillar in the center of the large temple chamber. While all Dr Courtney saw was the find of the century, all Alejandro could see was a room full of shrunken heads on the walls, with glowing eyes glaring down at them. Before Alejandro could warn Dr. Courtney, she had already removed the idol from the pillar and activated the trap. The only entrance to the room began to close. Realizing what was happening, Dr. Courtney fled the room and escaped before the stone slab closed the room. Everyone else wasn’t so lucky.
Starving and suffocating to death was slow and torturous work. When Alejandro finally died, he was almost relieved that it was all going to be over.
Alas, fate had other plans.
When he woke up again, Alejandro found himself lying on the forest floor, almost unscathed as though he hadn’t been trekking in the rainforest for the last few days. The only key difference now, several shrunken heads hung from his belt, and his eyes now glowed with the same green light as the heads he saw in the temple chamber. He could also now hear ominous whispers compelling him to find the idol and kill whoever possessed it. While Alejandro never fashioned himself a killer, he couldn’t deny the prospect was all too appealing at the moment. After all, he still hadn’t been paid yet.
Where did Dr. Courtney say she was from again? Was it New York?