[u]A quick foreword[/u]

I've designed this RP to provide a great amount of freedom to players, I really want to see you develop meaningful characters that you want to play, hence I haven't mandated any classes or other limitations. However please try to be reasonable and ensure that you don't go too overboard, don't go making your character obscenely powerful straight away allow for some gradual development.

The same goes for combat, I will be handling the NPC's you'll be interacting with (I shall provide character sheets for the major ones, most however will simply be bad guy X armed with Y charge toward you, the usual stuff). I will try and reward players who are innovative in their actions and play in a manner benefiting their character. Maybe an outnumbered engineer runs into a factory losing his opponents in the whirring machinery before overloading the steampumps? Maybe a stealthy assassin chooses not to kill the target immediately but to try and get some information  on the targets affiliates. Actions like these will definitely be rewarded more than, I shoot x at y and z before using i on e.

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[u]The background for the world[/u]

The year is 1876 it is the 5th age of steam, technology covers much of the world and that which isn't covered in machines is either oceans or the retreats of the upper classes. There is little fairness or equality to be heard of, there are three classes in society.

The Technocrats are the elite in society, they use their advanced technology and wealth to dominate all they see. They are raised to be superior and aloof and think themselves to be the better of all those below them, they are constantly competing amongst themselves however. The various Technocrat houses are more than willing to kill each other in open war if they have to, but they prefer more subtle techniques especially with the proles getting ideas beyond their station.

The Meritocrats, these are the middle classes, they've risen as high as they can. Whilst free enterprise, and hard work can allow a man to work his way up he can never work his way into the ancient families of the Technocrats. These are the overseers, the merchants, the ships captains and so forth. They're closer to the common man than any Technocrat, but most still have good manners and some formal education to call upon.

The proles, these are the unkempt masses, the scum of the earth. They are the workers who allow industry to go on. They are the ones who keep the cogs turning, the steamdroids working and the airships flying. Yet despite all this they are seen as expendable by those above them, utterly irrelevant and completely interchangeable. If it would take 300 innocents to unblock a vent the majority of Technocrats would send 400 just to be sure, even if it meant their deaths.

Recently however somebody seems to be striking back, reports have begun to surface of a shadowy figure striking at night eliminating those who continue to oppress the Proles and the Meritocrats. Maybe this is just wishful thinking, but a great many people irrespective of class are starting to wonder. Is the Night Raven real?

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[u]Starting location and scenario[/u]

You find yourself at the grand house of one Earl Ligthfeather, in the country once known as Britain. You're expecting an evening as normal, well as normal as things can be these days.

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[u]The Character Sheet[/u]

Name
Age
Social Class (see above, this will have an immense impact on your character)
Employment (again this will likely be affected by your social class, you won't find a Technocrat docker, or a Prole painter)
Skills and abilities: Any special talents your character has, languages, weapon proficiencies, medical training etc. (Make sure to balance your character and make them fit your back story. Don't go creating a shuffling engineer who then is inexplicably a master in gymnastics)
Equipment: Any equipment that your character might be carrying, weapons, grapples, portable logic engines etc.
General Back Story: A description of who your character is as a person, what their motivations might be, what they've done in their life etc.
Appearance: What does your character look like? Feel free to either write a description, provide a picture or both.