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In a sense, the Rosebaon (pronounced "rose-bay-own") is a true rarity. It's a group of men, women, and creatures with the overwhelming desire to spread evil in all its natural glory. Naturally, groups like this don't last long - they can't trust each other with sharing world domination. Because of their ego and insane desire, they are relatively simple for PC's to pick off one by one. No more Evil Corporation, happy worlds once again, cue the sickly sweet music.

That's not what happened with the Rosebaon. Apparently, a mysterious person keeps them in check. Rumors suggest this force gave each of the five Lords something they wanted very much - and they now pay pathetic allegiance.

HISTORY

The history and origins of the Rosebaon are shrouded in mystery (as is typical, no?). Some say the Dicken's like benefactor appeared through a dimensional rift, some say he was banished from the heavens in which he once held a seat of power. Some say he is the created essence of all the Lords, brought to life by their intense yearn for domination. And some say you'd be looking for a she.

Many believe he was just a peasant boy, brought up by parents who were only concerned about money, trade, theft, and their nightly escapades. They cared not for the little tyke, and only after days of work not being done did they notice he was gone. If that's true, the question remains: where did the accursed powers come from?

However the benefactor came to be, he quickly assembled his Lords, and the sky darkened over one part of the land. Many believe that this patch is where his sanctuary is, even though nothing mars the surface of the plain. Once the Lords assembled, little happened for well over a month... then each Lord appeared... suddenly, quietly and very angry.

Although the final goal of the Rosebaon may be that of world conquest, it is not their most apparent. In fact, there does not seem to by any noticeable goal for the organization. This cannot be said of the Lords - each has their own schemes, following their own roadmap of desire and conquest.

THE LORDS

Placebo:

Placebo is probably the most corrupt of the five Lords, not because he's the most dangerous, but because of the addictions caused by his powerful drugs.

The first mention of Placebo was in a rural town when he started giving his drugs free of charge to bums living in the streets. They quickly became addicted and began passing samples around the collected dredges of society. Soon, people of all kinds began flocking to Placebo. And that's exactly what he wanted.

He then began charging.

Since the drugs were extremely addicting, they began paying. Placebo is now a millionaire in the drugs he deals, and continually adds new users, new dealers, and new traveling caravans to his list, spreading his tendrils deeper and deeper into society.

Most of his helpers are the "respected" bums in each town. They're hooked on his drugs as much as anyone else. This gives Placebo insurance that they will not steal money or any of his drugs for themselves. If they do, he restricts them from the product for days, maybe weeks on end. The horrible withdrawal effects usually learn a very painful lesson.

Placebo most famously deals the following:

• Century is very much like it's name. Once induced, Century stays within the body for an incredibly long period of time, accumulating with each successive use. Century seems innocent to users and that's the chief reason for its popularity. When induced, it gives a pleasant "high": the user feels light headed, and a little sleepy. Other than that, the effects wear off in half an hour to two hours.

  Withdrawal symptoms include headaches and stomach pains. Eventually, the user will feel such pain that he cannot move without agony. If he can live through this, he'll begin a slow path of healing. However, the Century will still be latent in his body and could possibly cause complications.

  After a prolong usage of Century (maybe nine months to two years), the accumulated drug in the person's body will start interfering with the heart. The user will have difficulty breathing, and will eventually die. This "side effect" can take anywhere from a few months for especially frail people, or a year for bulkier masses.

• Delete is the most dangerous of Placebo's arsenal. The drug produces a very good feeling to the user, and will, within an hour of inducing, cause the user to fall into a daze. Once the user comes out of the daze (which usually lasts 3 hours) the user won't remember anything he has done during that time. He may even forget he has taken the drug.

  There are no side effects or withdrawal symptoms of the drug beyond the daze above and the slow loss of brain cells. Should the user keep using Delete, he will eventually go brain dead - prolonged usage is perhaps two or three years.

Note that this is by no means a full list of his assets.

When Placebo is seen (rarely), he wears a low brimmed black hat and a large black cloak. The hat hides his features while his cloak hides something given to him by an experiment (magic, genetics, body shop, etc.). When seen without his cloak, Placebo has a second pair of arms directly below his regular pair. These arms are usually crossed, and have some sort of weapons clutched in them. Most people who have seen Placebo's second pair of arms have not lived to tell the tale.

Scimitar:

Scimitar is the Lord of combat, and is a prime example. His face is never seen simply because it is always behind the helmet of some sort of armor. Armor is varied - you'll almost never see him in the same thing - he strives for the perfect equipment, and is constantly changing.

Scimitar is a large bodied man who carries himself with an air of importance. His real name is unknown - Scimitar is merely a fitting description, as he carried two huge scimitars at all times:

• Right Hand: This scimitar is slightly blue and has been said to crackle with energy. When instructed by Scimitar (only) this blade will release a bolt of lightning that can strike anything within 500 feet.

• Left Hand: This scimitar looks old and worthless. However, it's the perfect compliment to the lightning scimitar. When commanded by Scimitar, this blade can unleash powerful sound waves that cause pain, inflict temporary or permanent loss of hearing, or disrupt building foundations.

Most noticeable about Scimitar is the vast number of rings he has on his fingers. Totaling 21, each ring contributes in some way to his combat prowess, whether it be a real gain or an ego boost. These rings will come off if someone is foolish enough to try.