A gentleman who can't survive the end of the world isn't worth his salt.
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Place of Birth: London, England
Occupation: Logistical Resource Procurement Team Leader (Scavenging team leader), Jack of all Trades
Race: Human (Meta)
Appearance: Hayden has that old world charm to him, something you'd see in the Victorian era. While his hair is white for the most part, it doesn't make him look elderly but seasoned. He's tall and walks with a certain swagger, his comb backed white hair bobbing along. There's a scar located over his left eye with most of it hidden by an eyepatch but the bottom can still be seen.
Powers: Outdoorsmen of Legend - Hayden is a wonder at exploring the ruins of the old world; he can run twice as fast as a normal man and run longer, his jump hieght allows him to go at least 10 feet up and lets him jump on to the roof of a small house from ground level, a mix of unshakeable iron grip and terrific balance lets him climb much better than most mountain climbers and his eyes are comparable to that of a hawk's. While he had abilities like this prior to the end times (in a much reduced level of course), he theorizes that something that the apocalypse brought evolved them into the super state which they are now. At any rate, he's not complaint since its brought his youth back to him.
His vast wealth is also of use, it seems like even when the world is burning, people are still envious of wealth. Greed, greed never changes.
Skills: - Scavenging - His first and foremost profession, scavenging is how Hayden get things to tinker with and explore around. He prioritizes the collection of books as to increase his own knowledge to teach to others. - Marksmanship - Trained on tin can targets paired with metahuman skills, Hayden is an excellent shot with any weapon at any range, rivaling the skill of military marksmen - Crafting - Hayden is adept at putting his creativity to use, many in the fields of armor and various gadgets and life things. While can't make you a machine gun with scrap metal and a pistol, he is able to craft whatever he might need. - Medicine & Life Science - Able to do first aid and fix somethings like dissociated shoulders or wound cleaning. Hayden also takes interest in the examining of all the new beasties of the world, dissecting them and poking at squishy bits. - Botany & Husbandry - Hayden raises several plants in and around his home, most often used in herbal remedies or cooking. Although not a master with animals, he knows enough to not feed certain animals certain things or act a certain way. - The Arts - Music and arts are not useless even in the end times. Hayden is a wonderful singer, a decent actor and an accomplished artist who can draw everything from complex mechanisms to the human figure should he be allowed too.
Equipment/Resources: Hayden wears a dirtied white suit, complete with white gloves and dress pants, black hiking boots, a frayed golden scarf and orangish tie. A dulled brass pocket watch is in his pocket, which he lets the chain drape out for style. When he goes "casual", he is often seen with only a white polo collared shirt that has a bloodstain which he refuses to explain where he got it from.
When going out, he dons a light grey vest with metal plats sewn into it to protect the squishy bits of him. His shins are protected with sheet metal shin guards while his wrists . His all important scavenger pack is what looks like an olive school backpack with a flap in the front, some more pouches and a waterskin. In the case of rain, he is accompanied by a snazzy Indiana Jones-styled hat.
Weapons wise he personally owns an over-under double barreled shotgun and a .45 Colt pistol. The "Gentleman's Survival Tool" (GST) is his most iconic weapon however, combining the head of a shepard's axe with a metal rail spike and a wrench at the end to create an omni-tool of sorts. His GST which is is most often on his back is supplemented by a lawnmower blade-machete that is sheathed above his waist. The mosin-nagant that leans in his home is borrowed from the guard armory.
Weaknesses: He's human and he's an aging one at that. While his memory is still sharp and he is still strong enough to be a good scavenger, he can be out classed by younger or more powered people.
Psychological Profile: Hayden is a gentleman, he's calm and level headed most of the time, sometimes to the point of obliviousness. Teaching and learning is his great passion, believing if he can find enough knowledge and information he can make the world a better place, but that occasionally lead to him prioritizing preservation of knowledge over resource consumption and has also lead to a belief in eugenics. Exploring and sightseeing is another love of his, seeing it as a sort of "wasteland safari", a trait resulting from his outdoorsmanship in his youth. While he's reasonable and well-mannered, he goes have a temper that shows if he believes someone is being to stupid to understand what he's saying but out side of that, Hayden is a simple man.
Biography: Hayen was born to a wealthy family in London nearly four decades ago to Emilia Lovelace and Jarred Zhang. His parents had, from birth, told him knowledge was power. For a great deal of his early life was spent reading on books with his favorite television show being the nightly news instead of whatever Saturday morning cartoons his classmates were watching. He found an almost insane longing for knowledge, shutting out everything else, even social connections.
However, everything changed when he went on a middle school trip to the countryside. Something hit him, something that gave him a thrill which simple books and paper lacked. From that point on, he pestered his parents to take him across the world to a plethora of exotic and beautiful locations around the world which, considering their vast wealth, was not a hard thing to do.
As he aged his life was otherwise standard, he went to college and got a degree business to take over the family company. Soon after he married a young woman but never fathered any children and donated money to various conservation charities and organizations. You might be able to see his name on greenhouses or state parks.
When the end times where coming down, Hayden personally went out to inspect the results that it was having on people, donating money to prospecting charities that would agree to help for 4 years. Going against the pleads of his subordinates, he refused to seek shelter and instead continued to travel about. He was finally completely isolated from his contacts while in Yellow Stone, all of them, but one. He managed to find out from a friend who was working for a woman named Cassandra Patel was attempting to create a "safe haven" in LA. So, Hayden walked to the nearest town and hotwired a car. When the car gave out, he walked, when his shoe went out, he swapped some wealth with a group of stranded hikers in Uath for a spare pair of boots only to pick up a ride sometime later. The driver didn't want much, pure generosity and luck they both had been going to California, but Hayden told him stories of camping out in Siberia and fighting crocodiles bare handed while boating on the Nile.
By the time the two parted ways, Hayden told the man enough story to fill two bioghrapical volumes, but he wasn't a tenth done. Now, at The Citadel, Hayden has already seen the world once, and now wants to go see it once more, this time from a slightly different perspective.
Specie{s} Description: Ryujii or more commonly just Ryukyuans are tall, humanoid creatures with females standing at an average of 5' 10" and males averaging around 6' 1". The most noticeable trait they have are devil-like tails on their backs. They mature faster than humans reaching adulthood around 10 (but mentally they mature around 15) and can live long lives should the right conditions be met. Other appearance differences include longer fingers and "dual layered" eyes that some of the population has (the term "dual layered" means that while the eye has a solid color, their is another color on a "layer" behind it).
Most Ryukyuans can only use 80%-90% of the psychical strength a human could use but their brain capacity is 10%-20% greater than that of humans. Certain individuals will also express a rare gene that causes their mental power to grow to 50% or even 60% greater than that of humans. The Empire often stated these persons who usually become engineers, researches and the likes as the reason why the Empire's technology has advanced so quickly.
National Symbol/Flag/Emblem:
Nation Population: Gaishia (Homeworld) - 5.3 Billion Zhuhan (Colony) - 2.9 Billion Arizaki (Colony) - 1.8 Billion Tatisai (Deadworld) - 1.3 Million Kiroshi Ring (Astroid Cluster) - 0.8 Million
Total - ~10 Billion
A fast transport ship with a large storage capacity. Its only armed with a few anti-astroid guns but crews are trained to deal with hostile actions and are armed appropriately. A unit of soldiers are often deployed if the cargo is valuable enough.
Able to fit a variety of roles, the Yuudachi is not a true transport while also not being a true combat frigate. Most of them were actually mining ships converted into military ships as part of reforms, many still have their production and refine facilities. They have about a dozen actual guns and astroid-cracker-turned-MAC.
Incorrectly named due to an administrative screw up, the Kongu is actually more akin to a factory ship, originally made to combat the lack of space on planet surfaces. Due to their immense size (they're actually larger than anything else the Imperium feilds) they serve as both large-scale research facilities and excellent factories, lightly armed but boast heavy armor, once again they have light weapons to defend themselves with.
The Yamato is the only true, dedicated warship which the Imperium has. Armed with a variety of kinetic, gauss and missile weapons, they make up the Ryukyu's lack of warships for pure weight of fire and shock and awe.
Nation Focus: Industry and Research
Weapons: Gauss Shield Type: Force Fields Armor type: Thick Armor Bonus Type: Advanced AI
The Imperium has managed to create life like, yet loyal AIs who assist in nearly every aspect of society, acting as super computers. While they are not found every where, you can definitely see them a lot.
Weapon Tech: Standard - Adapted from astroid cannons, the Imperium's guns are nothing too incredible, but they work well for what they do. Shield Tech: Substandard - Shields are not something the Imperium really understands well. They have some basic knowledge on energy projection but have yet put too much effort into improving them. Armor: Superior - Created from advanced metal working techniques, forged with advanced alloys, the armor of the Imperium has more protection for its worth, good as their shields are not to be completely trusted.
Nation Government: Absolute Monarchy w/ traces of Theocracy
The Imperium is headed by an Emperor unsurprisingly, who wields unlimited power over his peoples. The state religion supports this rule not by stating that gods support the Imperial rule, but the Emperor and his family themselves are gods. The Emperor is chosen purely by age meaning that Empresses are also a common sight within Ryukyuan history.
Outside of the Imperial Family, there is the Imperial Court and the Imperial Administratum. The Imperial Court consists of advisors to the emperor and usually consists of the best minds of the Empire, each advisor also being the head of their respective ministries. The Administratum is the body which deals with the day to day affairs which the emperor can't be bothered with but still enforce and execute his policies and laws.
Nation Economy: Mixed Socialism where the state is in control of most heavy industry and private investors are in charge of commercial and consumer good. The state also controls most major institutions like emergency services, schools, archives (libraries, museums, basically anything that stores knowledge and information), red lights districts and shipyards. The Empire utilizes Five Year Plans for the most part, outlining generate ambitions of growth and yearly production quotas.
Nation Military Description: (Percentage of population that are military, what branches there are, major vehicles, etc.)
As of the last yearly census, roughly 20% of the population is serving in active military roles with about half the population, including the 20%, acting as reserves. These numbers are derived from conscription policies which eligible males and females have to serve a set amount of time in the military. It should be noted the numbers include non-combat roles like military police, guardsmen, medical personnel, hospitality corps, etc.
There are two major branches of the Empire military, the Ryukyu Imperial Army (RIA) and the Ryukyu Imperial Navy (RIN). As one might expect, RIA incorporates all elements of ground forces with RIN controlling matters in space. Due to their names, both have official civilian mascots of anime girls known as Ria-chan and Rin-chan respectively. The two show up in all sorts of media and have large fanbases.
Like their larger counterparts, the infantry weapons use gauss-supplemented gunpowder rounds which the gunpowder provides the initial kick and the coils accelerate to very high velocity. While such a method leads to more complex gun designs, Ryukyu weapons suffer little velocity drop at long rage, have armor piercing capabilities and boast superior accuracy.
Standard 30 round battle rifle for ground troops, its a solid weapon with two rails for attachments. The Type 99 can change between semi-automatic and a three round burst and comes in several variants like a carbine version that is lighter and shorter to a DMR version with a longer barrel and bipod.
Common weapon seen across both military and police, the Type 100 is a rapid fire SMG excellent for suppressing or in areas where accuracy is less of a concern. They're commonly found aboard ship armories and private security guards. Has a suppressed version and can mount scopes/sights.
Affectionately known as the "Fuck You Gun", the Type 38 fires an insanely power shot, so powerful its the reason why the Imperium lacked an explosive infantry weapon for a long time. Called the "Fuck yOu Gun" as disgruntled soldiers who really wanted something dead would actually steal it from its designated user to seriously fuck up the day of what ever they were shooting at.
High powered and deadly, the Type 11 is fine piece of military engineering, combining accuracy with rate of fire. Can be loaded via 150 drum magazines or belt fed. Has an "older brother", the Type 11H which is the HMG version that's heavier, uses and even larger round and is commonly found on vehicles.
A gun with a legacy, the Type 14 is regarded within the Imperium as the best gun ever made, having served as the standard sidearm for well over a century now. Sturdy, accurate, strong, all in a compact package delivering Imperial Justice from a 8 round clip, one bullet at a time.
As Ryukyuan military tradition dictates knives are not suitable weapons for honorable warriors, swords take their place and are often found in various shapes and sizes depending on the user's rank and role. Made of a light weight alloy, the Type 0 is also referred to as a "Progressive Sword", not because its cutting edge technology, but because of how it can cut through just about anything with a veil of agitated molecules that can cut things at a molecular level.
The Experimental Type 4 or "ET4" is the Imperium's most recent advance into infantry explosives. Loading rockets into the top, the ET4 can lock on to heat signatures and aircraft but still has a free firing mode. It can fire several different kinds of rockets from normal, to AP, to smoke to cluster.
Infantry
Standard infantry and perhaps the only infantry of the Imperium, these guys are trained to work in many environments. Acting as the main backbone of RIA, they are the most numerous and well armed and trained. While there are specialized units, the marines are trained to use just about everything.
Their suits are capable of space warfare although its not recommended for them to stay active outside for extended periods of time. Planetside however, they often don jetpacks and jump thrusters to stay mobile even in their armor.
While not necessarily elite troops, Aradayashi are AI controlled groups of combat robots (offically designated "Combat Assisters") who are meant to support their living comrades or take over in environments and situations where Ryukyuans simply cannot handle or go.
Elite special forces of the Imperium, no one actually knows all that much about them besides the fact they are worth 50 soldiers by official statements. Wether that means their price is 50 greater or they are able to take 50 normal soldiers on solo is unknown. They have special armor, sealed with thrusters to allow space combat.
Armor
Armored transport of the Imperium, it finds uses in many sectors both civilian and military. Its said these trucks are the blood cells of the Imperium, transporting everything from garbage waste to metal parts to soldiers. Military variants often have turrets on top for protection.
Nation Culture Description:
To understand Ryukyu, one must first know of its history and no historical mention trumps the legendary 500 year civil war, the Age of Reckoning. For generations the planet tore itself apart until Kahime Shohu united race under her flag, ending the war. She was celebrated like a god for not only bringing peace but passing reforms and building the planet. After her death, she was enshrined as the Golden Empress, a true god of the Imperium and her husband changed his name to Shohu to ensure the Shohu line would continue to serve.
Nation Economy Description:
The economy is stable, some days it goes up and others it goes up. Most are economically satisfied with their lives and there is enough money in the government to grant families social welfare, cheaper medicare, student loans and retirement funds. Some say that once the colonies become more developed the economy will rise once again.
National Figures:
Name: Age: Gender: Description: Importance:
Gaishia (Homeworld) - Medium
Zhuhan (Colony World) - Small
A small Forge World, Zhuhan is a major off world mining and factory planet. Its used as an off world workshop, exploited by many companies. Zhuhan produced everything from steel, to ammunition to ships. The government maintains a large presences there since much of the heavy industry is focused on it.
Arizaki (Colony World) - Small
An Agriculture world, Arizaki can be said as the Imperium's breadbasket, producing much of the crops and foodstuffs for it. Its sparsely populated and doesn't intend to grow its population beyond its current numbers and it has few large cities. Understandably, it has a sizable orbital garrison but lacks a ship building plant and has less of a planetside presence.
Tatisai (Dead World) - Small
Esentially a penal colony, Tatisai is mostly inhabited by convicts, prisoners and heretics and understandably has possibly the heaviest military presence there. That's not to say that there are no "normal" settlements, but there are quite a few unsavory characters. Besides being a major supplier of metal, its also home to several planetside training bases for RIA and houses some R&D stations mostly of the military kind.
Honma (Gas Giant) - Medium
Kiroshi Ring (Astroid Cluster) - Large
The great cloud of stone which has haunted the Imperium since when its people first discovered fire, the Kiroshi Ring is a massive belt of astroids and space rock that occasionally sends bits of itself into space and more often the not, into a planet. Thankfully, the Imperium's woes with flaming space rock crashing into their backyard is very much an alleviated problem at this point. Now a days, it hosts military bases, R&D labs and astroid cracking corporations. Unfortunately, pirate and bandit enjoy making nests here too.
Race: Half-Orc, human mother but unsure of race, looks mostly Imperial
Age: 20
Gender: Androgynous
Birthsign: The Theif
Place of Origin: Unknown - Found in the wilderness
Appearance: Lucex is a short and very, very feminine half-Bosmer coming in at a mere 5 ft 4 in. He has a slender build but hides the muscle he has as its not exactly toned very well. His skin is soft and fair, the human tones show hints of Orsimer green when up close. Most will confuse him for a female until they're really up close, it doesn't help that Lucex can also speak in a very girly voice.
Like his skin, Lucex's face holds Orcish roots; his head is close to an Orc's longer shape but ends in a distinctly Nord-like shape. His small, soft lips hide two fang like teeth, shorter than an Orc's but still noticeable if Lucex pulls down his lip a bit or opens his mouth. His hair was one a silky black stream but since has become a more rugged, but smooth mane of beautiful black which hides what appears some alluring shade of dark violet if the light hits it right. The sapphires in his bright eyes glow an icy blue like the mountain ice.
Background: Lucex isn't really sure where he's from. Based on what he's gathered and guessed, he's a half-orc with a human mother of some breed, either left in the wild to die or be killed. The old orcish dagger is proof of the latter as its the only thing he was found with when a group of hunters found him. Perhaps his father was in a forbidden love and was forced to kill his son in the wild but couldn't bring his Orcish rage to do it, leaving only the knife once meant to do the deed on him as a final message.
Now, from here on out, one would expect Lucex's life to be full of woe and hardship, but its not. He had been picked up by a wondering group of hunters, lead by an Imperial named Romilius who thought Lucex looked Imperial enough to be given an Imperial name. Romilius and his band of merry hunters looked after the kid like a giant family, teaching him their ways of the hunt. Of course this meant that Lucex was never given any real proper education, but who cares about that stuff when you can boast on how you kill bears for a living? Sure as hell sounds more impressive than asking if people get to the cloud district of Whiterun all day.
By the time he was a teenager, Lucex had already claimed a number of animals as his kills, all the pelts, hides and furs to prove too. His companions had taught him well and the young man learned from exprience, even teaching him dueling with swords. However, it was during a hunting trip that Lucex found out the hard way that there is a major difference between teddy bears and wild bears, promptly scaring the shit out of him and scarring him for life, ensuring he would prefer not to get that close to anyone trying to kill him again.
Once he was of age and a true "adult", he made the choice to leave the group but they gave him his current armor as a fair well gift, made of the animals he had hunted, and the bow which had faithfully served him and he had used to hunt said animals. And now, after almost five years of wondering around, he has come into the folds of a mercenary company to earn some cash. I could go on about his exploits like riding a goat out of Solitude to escape the guards or how he drop kicked a troll (with varying amounts of success which may or may not have ended in a hasty retreat), but that all is a story for another day.
Personality: As one might expect from a man of his age, Lucex is full of piss and vigor (relatively speaking). He's hyped and ready to die (not really), willing to do whatever it takes to become the very best (again, not really). He'll even fight a giant with a goat and a tuning fork! (Noticing a trend yet?)
In reality, Lucex is a brave man with a kind soul, just not the type of brave who'd face off against stuff head on. He's an adventurer guy who'd go tomb raiding or dwemer diving if he had people to do it with him (or more likely keep the badies away). That said, he does pull his share and will fight as needed. Even if he is good at things like swordsmanship, he prefers to stay away from it since it means there's just that much of a greater chance of him dying horribly. His youthful kindess does tend to lead him on the path of being a bit naiveté to the darker side of the world, but he does what he thinks will do the most good. That's not to say he doesn't manage to get himself into all sorts of trouble and mischief, but, he still young and stupid (somewhat). He's most generous to orphans, having somewhat understanding their cause and life but generally does pitch a coin or two to a beggar's bucket.
In terms of being a mercenary, he's sometimes called a coward for his fear of getting up close and personal, but his skills as an archer is very respected even if his shots do land a bit distant from his target. He hates having to take out of the company's food stock pile and often resorts to fishing or hunting for his own meats or picking wild plants he can eat. He's no alchemist but he knows what can be safely eaten and is willing to share both plants he comes across and wild game. When he isn't fighting or hunting and generally relaxing, he favors story telling of his exploits, some true, some fake, some almost true but all of them amusing or interesting in some way. His favorite setting to do this is around a camp fire or with a small group a tavern's bar, should be noted he doesn't like the taste of most alcohols and thus doesn't drink minus a good round a Cyrodillic Brandy which he enjoys the taste of.
Due to his appearance, its best to keep him away from certain types of lecherous characters for obvious reasons. Its gotten him into many an awkward situations in the past. While he actually has a more neutral attitude about this in hindsight, he has become rather proficient in role playing as a girl in a wide variety of aspects, useful in some situations. Despite how convincing of a female he looks, he prefers not to be reminded about it and constantly states he is a male, although his comrade usually think otherwise.
Capabilities:
Skills: •Adept - Marksmanship (Very proficient in crossbows, less in traditional archery or throwing) •Adept - Sneak (Good enough to stalk animals and sometimes people) •Adept – Speech (To tell stories and to get him out of trouble buts its more than enough to get him in trouble, mostly used to impersonate a very convince female voice) •Apprentice - Provisioning (Can cook pretty well, makes a mean venison steak and stews from wild plants) •Apprentice - Athletics (Equivalent to a some very basic military training) •Apprentice – Acrobatics (Think street performer level) •Novice – 1H Blades (Best he stays away from sharp pointy things in front of him) •Novice - Tailoring (Makes scarves and shoddy shirts and bandages and rope) •Novice - Woodworking (Just some carving stuff he's learned on the go) •Novice - Mercantile (Just enough so he doesn't get ripped off too badly)
Weaknesses: •Weak bones - Born with lighter bones, while it does allow Lucex to move faster, it also mean even a solid punch can do significant damage, Divines forbid he gets hit with a war hammer or a log to the face. •Sensitive to Lightning - For reasons unknown, Lucex is significantly more sensitive to lighting-based spells. From a single hit, at best he'll be temporarily paralyzed and disoriented and at worse, he'll be knocked out cold or his heart stops. •Weak to Poison - Lucex has had a weakened immune system for a long time but due to his outdoorsmanship, he's been able to negate and prevent most diseases through will power of being healthy. Poison however is still incredibly dangerous on him. •Illiterate - Lucex can make out some simple words but the vast majority of words are just scribbles to him. Despite never really getting a proper education at any point, he enjoys books purely too look at the neat handwriting, wishing to one day to write just a pretty as the books show. •Too pretty for his own good - Lucex is undoubtly attractive even by female standards, but it also means that there are some who go straight for him. There's also the issue that he might know a number of people in cities who bring in awkward times.
Relations to Other Characters: N/A
Affiliation(s): None
Spells (if any): •Novice Flames
Combat Style (or the Lack of): (optional) Lucex is primarily a ranged support on paper, shooting away with his crossbow. In reality, he tends to get a bit more personal in his bolt deliver, making hims something of a frontline sniper. Should he get too close and personal, he draws a sword/axe/knife/whatever-his-hand-can-find and then goes into a dodge tank mode where he constantly dodges to draw attention, attack when his opponent is tired and/or vulnerable.
Other Capabilities: •Hunting related things (stalking, cleaning and field dressing) •Survival skills (campfire making, woodcutting) •Equipment maintenance •Being a very convincing female and crossdressing •Singing (or so he thinks) •Outdoorsmanship (climbing, swimming)
Inventory
Cash: 58 gold and a piece of cheese
Keys and Lockpicks: N/A
Clothing and Armor: Lucex wears a short chainmail shirt that goes to his stomach which comes with a chest piece of hard boiled leather. Leather shoulder guards protect his shoulders as one would expect, snow wolf furs decorate the topmost layer. Around his waist is a long red-tipped blue scarf of tundra cotton, his horn and a small money pouch occupy space there along side some trinkets. The furs of his lower body are of foxes, wolves and even bears he hunted himself and are connected to the leather of his top armor, hiding a pair of rugged pants. His armor comes with a hood and Lucex made the face wrap himself, although its only used in bad weather or places he knows he has a certain... unsavory reputation. Outside of that, we wears standard leather boots and bracers with hide gloves. In cold weather, he dons a heavy fur cloak which also serves as his sleeping pad on most nights.
Weapon and Ammunition: •Hunting Bow with ~30 steel arrows •Orcish dagger •Woodcutter Axe •An Alpenstock
Potion and Arcane Supplies: •Two potions of minor stamina
Jewelry and Novelty Items: •A "borrowed" silver ring •Amulet of Kynareth •The Orcish dagger technically •Golden neckless w/ an emerald •Moonstone and Sapphire Circlet •Goat horn horn made of a horny goat horn who wasn't actually horny but still had horns
Books and Documents: •A few maps, mostly of Skyrim's wilderness •Memoirs of an Ale Wench (Lucex enjoys tracing the fancy letters)
Food, Drinks, Provisions: •Two dried fish •A water skin and a few bottles of water •Bread •The piece of cheese is not food, its legal tender (to Lucex anyways)
Bags, Pouches, Packs: •The large knapsack slung on his back •Some small pouches and a satchel on his belt •A quiver for his arrows •His 4 pack
Other: Lucex claims that his hood by itself is enchanted and while it does appear to be enchanted and has been confirmed by mages, no one knows what the actual enchantment is. Seeing as the enchantment itself faintly glows purple, Lucex says the enchantment make the hood "better at being purple".
General Character Name: Edo Talvarin Alias: Gunrunner Gender: Male Species/Race: Human (Coreillian) Age: 30 Place of Birth: Nar Shaddaa Occupation: Smuggler/Trade Caravaner
Appearance Height: 6 ft 3 in Hair: A messy burnt sierra Eyes: Emerald Green Distinguishing Marks: None General Appearance:
Edo is a tall, charming fellow
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Social and Mental Allies: Enemies: Current Goal/Purpose: Aspirations: Hobbies: Likes: Dislikes: Fears: Personality:
Equipment Special Items: Weapons:
Supernatural Force Sensitive: Yes/No Force Powers: Two max.
"And all the Khan's men and all the Khan's horses will tear you to pieces!"
Geo-Politics
Legal Name: The Grand Khergit Khannate
Political Party: Royal Khanate Family
Type of Government: Feudal Despotic Monarchy - Lead by the Great Khan Tohgon Atilla, the Great Khan rules with absolute authority over his domain. He is assisted by the Elder Council of Hodilurn, consisting of a dozen wisemen and sages who give advice on how best to rule over the kingdom and deal with issue to the Great Khan. Together, the Great Khan and the Elder Council are known as the "Thra-Dorian".
Under the Thra-Dorian is the Unde-Dorian that consists of the regular Khans who lead certain areas assigned to them. Swearing fealty to the Great Khan, they are expected to follow his every word. In essence, they are his vassals but do not pay tribute to the Great Khan. The Great Khan takes all of their taxes which they collect and redistribute portions of it back; this is one of the methods used to ensure the Khans stay loyal.
Heirs are chosen by the royal bloodline with the sons going through the "Trials of Heaven and Hell". In the Trial of Heaven, they must demonstrate their knowledge and wit before the Elder Council while in the Trial of Hell, they are too best the best warriors in combat. Other Khans can challenge the Great Khan to take his title but must slay him in single combat during the Trial of Hell. Needless to say, Great Khans do not often die of in Trials for good reason.
Date Out of Bunker: N/A
Land Claims:
While the Khergits are nomadic tribes with no real "borders" (most Khans just wonder their tribes where ever the fuck they want), the Horde does have more settled areas due to recent Great Khans's ordering places that give the benefit of being in one place (or Khans who just got lazy and didn't want to always be on the move) called "Karaks". These settlements can be thought of villages or well-developed tribal camps. The vast majority of Karaks are located in the Central Asian steppes but Khans who either accidentally or purposely settle their tribes into a Karak in other lands beyond the "borders" are not unheard of.
Economy & Demographics
Economic System: Like many things in the Khergit horde, the economic system differs from tribe to tribe. Some use communal free will which people openly take what they want and give what the can in hopes of good will. Others use simple bartering with prices determined by local merchants and Khans. Some exclusively use the Umol, the "official currency" of the horde. Use mostly in the larger tribes and Kazaks, the Umol is accepted in all Khergit lands and strongholds but isn't always used in.
External trade is somewhat uncommon as more often than not, the Khergit just raid villages and caravans and the like for materials or demand it in tribute from weaker foes. Exporting is also just used as a sign of good will more often than not. That said, there are tribes that act as oversized caravans and Karaks with large market places that can be seen as trade hubs.
Military Equipment - (Semi-Auto/Automatic Rifles, Bows & Arrows, Metal/Leather Armor, Armored Cars, Jeeps, Light Tanks, Simple Propeller Aircraft, Machine Guns, Mortars, Melee Weapons of all kinds, Traps, Bombs and Explosives and Incendiary Weapons)
Industrial and Electronic Goods - (Steel, Iron, Coal, Charcoal, Various Minerals, Clay, Gas & Oil, Basic Electronics, Early Radios, Simple Batteries, Simple Chemicals, Some Modern Medicinal Items)
Consumer Goods - (Rugs, Clothing, Textiles, Pottery, Some Degree of Literature, Saddles, Decorative Items & Trinkets, Carvings of Wood, Stone and Bone, Bags & Storage Containers, Artwork)
Demographics:
Actual knowledge of the demographics of the horde is unknown due to the vast number of tribes and peoples living under the Khergit banner. It can be said that the number of different races is great and mutant Ungors who were the "original" Khergits make up a good portion of the population.
Ungors are humans who live in the Asian steppes have been tainted by generations of radiation-induced mutations. While they do not look anything all to different from humans, they do have some different physiological traits which have put them into two different social classes known as Earth Ungors and Sky Ungors respectively and differentiates them from normal humans.
Earth Ungors Eath Ungors are taller and stronger than the average normal human. Their skin is rougher and harder and tend to have frizzier hair. Most people will think of Earth Ungors when the term Khergit Khanate is spoke as they serve mostly as military members due to their additional strength and perceived savagery. They are often seen as savage, hostile, aggressive barbarians but in an ironic twist, they're actually the more respectful and humbled of the Ungors, even more so than the sassy, prideful Sky Ungors.
Sky Ungors Sky Ungors are more or less the opposite of Earth Ungors. They have larger brain capacities and look more beautiful than what most people will assume to be a Khergit Ungor. Within the Khergit society, they serve as the more intellectual roles like civil servants, engineers, diplomats and scholars. Outside of the Horde, they are often mistaken for beautiful men and women who have been kidnapped by the Horde which some delusional idiot chivalrous hero has to go and rescue. They are ironically sassier and more prideful than the larger Earth Ungors and are much more rowdier when drunk.
There is one trait shared between both subspecies of Ungors however: an apparent total lack of safety standards and sometimes logic and common sense. While they make solid and dependable things, its unadvised for anyone who is not nearly as jackass'd as a Ungor or a Khergit to use them. Through a myraid number of reasoning, explanations, explanations and sometimes flat out lies, they justify on why they seemingly lack safety concerns which mostly boil down to "because we can do this and fuck you". Of course, they don't ever say it quite like that.
Religion & Culture
Religion: The Khergits's main belief is called "Tengeriinkhusel" meaning "the Will of the Heavens" and is often shortened to just "Tengri". It tells of a Sky Maiden and an Earth Warden who created the world and their children and grandchildren who control various other elements of life. It is a polytheistic faith with no concept of prophets or holy text. It is exclusively told by various sages, oracles and shamans of the various tribes however due to the nature of oral tradition, some parts of it have been skewed a little leading to different quasi-sects but in all have enough similarities to still be called the same religion. Recently there have been attempts of writing it down however to keep the faith in a more permeant, uniformed manner.
A unique part of the religion is the idea of "Monitegel" or "Syncretic Faith" where different tribes will adopt certain aspect of the local religion of the area they're in. While this does make record keeping hard as some tribes will switch between their Monitegels quite often, it does make assimilating new people into the fold a much smoother process. This also means that Tengri is also a surprisingly accepting faith to outsiders.
White trees, often just called "Tengri Trees" are considered a holy plant/symbol in Tengri as they are seen as an unborn child of the Sky Maiden and the Earth Warden. So much so that many are converted to holy sites where the trees have grown massive in size and even have dedicated guards. Chopping down these trees or harming them in anyway is seen as a major offense and a personal attack on the two major pantheons. Trees simply painted white is also seen offensive as its thought to be an attempt to trick the gods. However, white-painted lumber not from trees known not to be Tengri Trees are accepted and seen as a sign of power. Many Khans and nobles have white-painted furniture because of this and one can fetch a good price in Khergit lands when selling white-painted timber.
Perceived Culture: To outsiders, the life of a Khergit is hard, savage and often barbaric. Many see them as raiders and glorified bandits who come into lands for no purpose than to rape, pillage and burn. Some hold them in the highest disscontempt as mounted cavemen who either are overly attached to their horses or roll around in the dirt, praying to shamanistic gods and idols. Military men who have fought them say that they are a savage and annoying bunch who use annoying, dishonorable tactics in war that force the people they brutally conquer to fight for them as cannon fodder. They will admit they have come up with some pretty ingenious creations and approaches to war, but that's all the respect they'll offer. Many say they are demon spawns or monsters, others propagate they are much, much worse.
Actual Culture: What most people say about the Khergits are actually more true to what their predecessors, the Kharrigands, where. However, they keep the appearance of savagery up as its a good facade that stops people from thinking they're too soft and it gives enemies a good moral shock when in battle.
Although the life of a Khergit is hard, its never as bad as its thought of by others. Khergit society is rigidly structured but its engineered in a way that doesn't seem oppressive; and with help from some propaganda, many see it as the "natural order of things". Everyone knows what to do and doesn't question it.
The horde also has a very diverse of people, leading its culture being variety and many and have proven themselves to be an accepting bunch. Khergit engineering, while unknown to many, is surprisingly durable and can handle a lot of punishment, even if its lacking in some other parts. The people eat more than raw animal intestines and flowers, there is actually industry in the Karaks and not everything is based on military and raiding. That said, the Khergits do raid other lands.
One major surprise that the Khergits have that many don't expect is the concept of mercy. They refuse to kill a dying man without first trying to save him and any captured prisoners are given a change to be accepted into Khergit society. Even when going into a land to conquer, they give the people a chance to surrender. That said, some tribes are more aggressive than others and sometimes "forget" about the rule of mercy.
History:
The Khergits were never actually put into a bunker when the world ended, their descendants having mostly been evacuated to secure camps in the steppes. Due to the unremarkable location which otherwise had no great resources, they were spared being nuked into non-existence as no nation targeted the steppes and wastelands in favor of more populated areas. However, the radiation still spread to the camps causing mutations in the inhabitants which lead them to becoming what is known today as "Ungors".
Over the many years, these "preservation camps" had devolved into something of a tribal clan with the one the Khergits came from known as Camp UGR-40 "Kharrigand" which is what had created the name of Khergit. The camps themselves did not live very long as overcrowding soon became an issue forcing them to actually build shelters beyond the walls of the camps, Camp URG-40 was no exception. Things soon got very tribal and savage indeed as notable members of the camps built themselves up as Chieftans or Kings or Khans or any other variety of names used and began attacking each other.
The inhabitants of Camp URG-40 however, was one of the peaceful tribes, still calling themselves what the camp was named, the Kharrigands. However, despite their attempts at diplomacy and the like, they were forced out of their camp after a savage raid by neighboring tribes. Now forced into a nomadic lifestyle, the Kharrigands still tried to remain with their peaceful ways, accepting refugees from other tribes who had been raided until disaster struck again.
The tribe known as the Onrebaj, a tribe who was part of the attack that forced the Kharrigands out of their home attacked the new nomads once more. In the aftermath, a man named Khalli Olar rose to power, promising that he would protect the Kharrigands. And so, the Kharrigands once more rebuilt where they were defeated, the now Lord Olar telling everyone they should abandon the ways of the nomad. The peaceful tribe that had once been victim to endless attacks was suddenly the attackers, counter-raiding and conquring the lands of their enemies and repressing them with an iron foot.
However, Olar's brutal policies did not sit well with many people who were only kept in line by fear. Many critics and opposition leaders where silenced. One of said people was Zhimas Chanchukua, an Earth Ungor of great strength and even greater nerve who preached about returning to a nomadic life style akin to that of the Huns and less repressive than Olar's rule. Understandably, the Lord Olar had him silenced at once and had Zhimas executed in public to make a show. However, with that act Olar had began the construction of his own coffin as Zhimas's son, Shuukh was in the crowd and started to plot to kill his father's killer.
The Chanchukua family was never one to support Olar, hating how he flaunted his wealth and power like toys, but Suukh was the one who brought it to light and frutation. Once of age, he overthrew Olar with an army of supporters and executed him in public view like his father had been killed. But before the axe fell, Olar revealed he wasn't from and preservation camp at all and that his real name wasn't even Olar, but in fact from elsewhere the Kharrigands never heard of. Unfortunately the axe fell before Olar could spill anything more than his blood, prompting Suukh to imdiately search for the lands that Olar claimed he hailed from in vengance.
Outside of his hunt for the homelands of Olar, the new Great Khan Suukh went to reorganizing soceity in his own image, loosening the grip on the tribes that the Kharrigands had conquered, setting up a new social hierarchy and reforming the military, all based on knowledge of what the Huns were like from his father, going so far as to rename his lineage "Attila" and renaming his people, the Khergits to try and cleanse the memory of the now infamous Kharrigands.
Now, years later with Suukh's bloodline still in power, the Khergit horde is still on the move, gaining more and more territory and searching for the homeland of Olar (now referred to as Olarland or Olarhold). And despite discovering all sorts of new goodies and tech, the Horde is no closer to finding the mystical land but the land under there control has grown. And show no sign of stopping.
Other:
Despite having access to some forms of modern medicine, Khergits still mostly use traditional folk remedies.
The Khergit military is based on speed and lots of it with safety taking a sideline.
The Khergit army does not discriminate genders and even has women amongst its top ranks and legends. Huzzah for progressive policies! :D
Some of the the things the Khergits do/make run on nonsenolium, logic fails of the Khergit include:
Stealth technologies based on painting things neon hot pink reasons because "no one has ever seen a hot pink tank"
Painting vehicles red because "the red ones go faster"
Eating bioluminescent mushroom to recharge battery-powered/electricity-powered equipment
Using moldy jam sandwiches to counteract radar jamming, because the mold in the bread absorbs jam.
The Khergits will act very differently between people who they see as friends and who they do not see as friends.
People on good terms with them do not have to suffer through all the things the Khergits are infamous for
The Khergits still encourage their friends to spread wild rumors of how horrible they are for appearances and for shits and giggles.
The Khergits are scared as hell of balloons. Not like zeppelin balloons and that stuff, colored party balloons will make even the bravest of Khergit warriors shit his pants.
Zhang is generally a rather cold person. While not monotonous, he speaks in a constant apathetic voice, reflecting his equally as apathetic nature. He models himself after a dignified intellectual and sees social interaction as optional. That's not to say he doesn't know social skills or cues, he just choices to ignore them since he can't be bothered by following them. Due to lack of social interactions, he is prone to being seen as mysterious or ominous. Again his apathy towards his social standing does not help him as he appears to be one of those stoic, snarky individuals who couldn't care less about others.
His morality is also a very questionable, following a throughly Machiavellian philosophy
"Some people say being a Dreamer is better than being Realist, just remember that Realists are the people who make dreams come true." ~Hayden Anderson
Name
Hayden Shiri Anderson
Nicknames
Anderson is his preferred alias as he finds Hayden a bit too feminine for his liking. Calling him by his middle name is a sure fire way to piss him off as he feels its reserved for family only and it sounds too much like "Sherry" when english-speakers say it.
Age
29
Gender
Male
Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual
Occupation
Props Master
Appearance
Anderson is most characterized by his resting, seemingly uncaring bitch face. That said, he does have a dashing smile that he shows every few blue moons. He's a tall man at about 6' 2" with an average built and has always looked young for his age.
His eyes are a dark coffee brown, already having stress lines and dark under eyes if you look close enough, and his black hair is slick due to either hair spray or gel. If he didn't take the time to "tame" it in the morning, chances are he'd look like an anime character. He does shave a lot as his facial hair can grow quite rapidly and thus he often experiments with different facial hair styles at a whim. Right now however, he's clean shaved.
The other major part to note about him is his hands, rough and dirty from his job of constantly making things (and his nail biting habits). No matter how well he cleans them, they will always have traces of dirt or oil or something. Despite how often he is hunched over something, his back is always straight up like a drill sergeant's.
Clothing wise, he favors working clothes or formal or something in between. Jeans and fancy vests are his favorite items though.
"If I cared about your excuses, I'd write a book about it and make it into my own damn movie."
Personality
Perhaps the most prevalent thing about Anderson is his snark, now in varying shades of mockery, sarcasm, annoyance, bluntness and indifference. He's a very down to earth and pragmatic man with a strong and dedicated work ethic but that doesn't stop him from chewing the hell out of people, even his superiors can only have such an amount of control over his snark.
To the people he opens up to, Anderson's snark has more of a humorous side and his willingness to help them personally increases. However, he absolutely refuses to be connected to "special snow flakes". That isn't to say he'll sneakily help them in some way, but it means he just won't talk to them and point out their flaws more often.
Job wise, he's very stubborn, once he has an idea on how something should be made or handled, he will stick by it. This is a sort of double edged sword where on one hand, the things he uses and makes are of exceptional quality, and in the other, he tends to ignore deadlines and pre-set budgets. And because he puts so much effort and time into the stuff he makes, he hates seeing it destroyed. Thus, its not far fetched to see that Anderson doesn't hold the pyrotechnics people in the highest regards.
Likes
At least 4
Being able to do what ever the hell he wants
Being snarky
Power napping
Discounts and coupon tickets
Cappuccinos (especially French Vanilla)
Asian Food that isn't take out
All of his little creations that are good in his eyes
Dislikes
At least 4
Being reminded of deadlines
Being constricted by the budget
Drama Queens/Narcissists
Inexperienced or inept people
People who can't follow directions
Imperfect props and creations
People who destroy his stuff
Goats
Fears
Ghosts, Bugs, spooky stuff, being unable to use his hands
"Put that down! Its probably more valuable than you."
Strengths
Dedicated & Hardworking
Incredibly Skilled & Detailed
Can do many things outside his field
Reliable & Honest
Creatively Pragmatic
Weaknesses
Impatience
Very High Standards
Disorganized
Hot-headed
Stubborn
Blunt
"Do whatever it takes"
History
Anderson was born to rural country girl and a city kid, his parents meeting in college. For as long as he knew, his mother had been a chemical researcher while his father had been a dentist. One would say here that it would make little sense on how Anderson would have acquired his skills set from this, but it was actually his Grandfather who taught him handicrafts and otherwise blue collar work (and his attitude).
Never the amazing student, Anderson gravitated towards the nerds who'd put models together and paint them or the robotics geeks who'd obsessed about making sure every screw was right and re-checked lines of code twenty times over. Getting into wargaming himself, he saved up pocket and job money to get into it, taking the time to hand paint and decorate his little models with custom creations which got more complex and elaborate as time went on.
His first experience with the fine arts came late in his high school career when he decided to join the props and scenery crew of the school theater club. Within his first show, he had become de facto leader of the crew after rather viciously chewing out the actual leader and out doing him by making half the things needed on his own. Impressive to say the least, he'd gotten himself a permeant standing as leader of said crew until he graduated.
After graduating college, he began to search for work, doing various odd jobs to stay alive. Despite his skill at producing props and scenery, his lack of finer points of social conduct made getting said jobs a lot harder. It didn't help that he was young and lack contacts within the industry to help him. After working on small films, Anderson's true break out into the industry might just be now.
Why did you decide to work for this movie?
He needs money and a break out role to prove that he didn't just waste his life going after an other wise worthless talent.
"Yes, yes, 'stay in the budge and try not to get anyone killed', I've heard the speech before now can you leave me to my work?"
Into the wrong hands > Family of Spies > Soulmates
- The Hero is a Part-Timer - In a fantasy world, hundreds of mages, warriors, and rouges are trained to fight against the Demon Lord to defeat him. The main character is the one in the prophecies and trains extensively to defeat him... only to be banished to Earth right before the fight. With no way back to his home, he's forced to get used to living on Earth despite being trained and raised as a great hero.
- Twin Souls: Moonlit Dawn - The main character discovers that they are the magical clone of the villain who attempts to resurrect an ancient beast that could destroy the world. With both the villain and the MC able to hear each other's thoughts and know where the other is, the MC has to find a way to raise an army to invade the villain's castle.
- Digital Cage - In a dystopian future, a girl finds that her lover's brain is being used as a CPU for an advanced piece of military robots. Altering saving her lover, both of them must evade the military to find someone who not only locate the lover's original body, but restore his mind.
- Endymion: Symphony of Echoes - Again in the far future, a popular vacationing space station on the outer rim of Galactic Senate space has gone dark and a team of commandos have been sent in to investigate. They discover that the "Happiest Place in Space" is not what it seems and that there are worse fates then death...
- When Johnny Comes Marching Home - Set in WW2, the story follows the fictional "21st Infantry Battalion" as they make their way through the war but continuously loose their numbers until the very end where everyone in it has perished right before the war is won. Basically a film showing how war is horrible.
"I made that thing. If you want to destroy it in a stunt, you're paying me extra for it."
Terrain: What is the climate of the place you now live in. With all the WMDs that were chucked around, its possible that the climate can be thrown off, but don't just turn Texas into a winter wonderland.
Government Type: The GUC runs on a system very close to the modern US, divded into three branches: the Adminstorum (Supreme Court), the Execatorium (Executive) and the Senatorium (Legislative). The Execatorium and the Senatorium are both very close to their actual counter parts (although each senator in the Seantorium can must be relected every 8 years). The Adminstorium is actually the Hold Church of Amercanism who uses the Constitution to see if actions are "allowed by the founders".
Capital: Independence - Built upon Philadelphia's old city.
Head of State: President Willian S.J. Tarrot
Other Important People: Great Iron Lord, General Karakzaw the Slayer of the Steel Legion High Chancellor Alesand Yorland of the Atalanti Republic Divine Americanism Minister Adams Jenkins Jr. the Pious Head of the Cabinet Andrew Tillman Speaker of the Senatorium Diago Ralou
Population: 6.3 Million
Attitude Towards Evols: Neutral - Don't really do much against them but also don't actively go out to hunt them down. Kinda don't really care about them if they're doing well or doing bad.
Economic System: Interventionism
Resources: The Grand Union Commonwealth is rich in natural resources of iron, coal and timber. Through extensive labor, some portions of Pittsburgh have been able to some small steel mills although they are nothing compared to what the City of Steel could once produce. Its many rivers and fertile soil still produce a good number of crops even though it is irradiated, able to feed most of its population most the time. Harsh winters will almost certainly results in famine as not only will crops die, but fishing will be very difficult.
Currency: Iron Dollar - Excessively in coins and not actually made of iron.
Technology: Manufacturing abilities uses a strange hybrid of cottage and mass production with each worker hand making a very specific part or set of parts for a larger contraption. Steam engines are a common sight which are used to power vehicles and heavy machinery.
Official Religion: Americanism
Religious Information: Americanism worships the founding fathers as gods, namely Washington, Franklin, Jefferson and Adams who represent virtue, knowledge, equality and liberty. The rest of the founding fathers are less deities. Famous revolutionary figures such as Paul Revere are revered as saints. People who are seen as "patriotic" enough are counted as living saints and are held at the same level of actual saints although they are rare.
There are some other religions in the Grand Union territory, the largest of which is Christianity but is only really popular in the more rural lands. A few cults of several various ideals and beliefs are present but are tiny and spread out. Some other minority old world religions can be found in small pockets within cities.
History: The origins of the Grand Union Commonwealth can be traced to the Independence Shelter located under the Constitution center in Philadelphia. As the world ended, people slowly began to go mad due to low supplies, bad living conditions and other environmental factors leading to them worshipping the founding father which had their own exhibit in the Constitution Center.
Upon leaving the vault, missionaries where sent far and wide to try and spread the ideas of Americanism as scholars went to work studying the Constitution to set up a new government. Soon a new nation sprung up in the ruins of south eastern Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth. By reclaiming the old train lines, they were able to spread their reach into the rest of PA before encountering their first real opposition: the Steel Legion.
The Steel Legion was something of a well organized barbarian nation to the eyes of the Commonwealth, but the then President Thomas Numen realized the worth of these Legionaries or "Steelers", not only as military units but also their city, the Citadel of Steel in Pittsburgh. Through skillful negotiation, Numen had absorbed the Steel Legion into the Commonwealth and now had access to their industrial abilities. A similar tactic was used in their dealings with the Atalanti Republic, a small south New Jersey republic, thus forming the Grand Union Commonwealth.
With the resources blessed by nature of their state and the blessings of the founding fathers behind their back, the GUC now stands on the debate of its grand plans of "inheriting" the USA.
Culture: Sylvanians are well known to be a blunt and industrious people however they are also some what hotheaded and are very rowdy when riled up. Steelers are more so and are much for brutish compared to Sylvanian "elegance". Atalanti are much more reserved and free spirited.
Military Numbers: 65,000 Professional 15,000 Militia
Military Units: The GUC's primary infantry are the Guards who often hail from the Commonwealth Proper and look akin to the soldiers of the Continental Army of the Revolution with more modern weaponry and some armor giving them the name of "Bluecoats". Supporting them are the hardened Steel Legionaries and the flexible Atalanti Marines. The Steel Legionaries are renowned for their iron will and heavy, crude looking roman-esque armor and barbarian-like Ironbreakers, they preform most of the heavy infantry and shock melee work. The Atalanti Pathfinders consists of what few professional US military had from local garrasions and national guard units; they are the elite branch of the GUC Army (Militarum) able to work on land and at sea.
There are also then two paramilitary forces: the Militarum Localis (the Militia) and the Adminstorum Adeptus (the Inquisition). In accords to the Holy Constitution, common men and women are used as a "well trained and equipped militia for defense", on paper. In reality, while they are given some training, they tend to use the worse weapons and are treated as more or less meat shields which can also be used for offensive operation. The Inquisition on the other hand is the militant arm of the High Church of Americanism and although few in numbers, are extremely effective at both preaching and fighting who also serve as internal police to assist actual policing forces (who often are just Militia).
Semi-known: While not too many actually know of him, he's more than willing to share it.
Personality:
Ryder is a saint at heart; he's outgoing, friendly, optimistic, selfless and kind hearted. To him, the job of being a Hero is more than just beating up bad guys in cool costumes and media attention, its about helping people with their issues no matter how small it may be. Some might say he's almost childish in that sense but he's no stranger to how cruel the world can be, Ryders knows what crawls in the shadows and how dangerous it is. Despite this, he shows empathy for villains and crooks believing that they still have a heart and are just lost or misguided.
Fully accepting that he is weaker than almost every other hero, lacking in any special power or training, he makes up for it in spirit with a near indomitable will and faithful dedication to the job although he will always say that "he's just a hero for fun". It can be said that he is a stubborn bastard in that he will continue to fight even if he knows there's no chance of winning; to him as long as he can at least by time for others than he's already won. Ryder's determination is only matched by his willingness of self-sacrifice
Jackson R. Thatch was born in a well off family with and older brother and a young baby sister but was lived in a dangerous neighborhood. Less than a year than his birth, his father had been shot after he attempted to stop a robbery in the bank he worked in. Jackson would listen to the tales of heroics and goodwill that his father did from his mother although some of them ended up being a bit fictitious. Jackson didn't care though, he loved superhero stories, dressing up as comic book heroes and running around the living room shouting, "Heroes are here to help people!"
As he grew into a teenager, he stopped being so into comic book and more into video games like so many teenaged boys but still loved the stories of bravery and courage that the characters in his games would do. His brother had also been an avid fan of many of the same games and had offered to bring Jackson and their little sister to a gaming convention as a gift (and because he wanted to show off his newly created cosplay). The convention was a huge amount of fun for the siblings but tragedy struck.
Holding the helmet of his bro's costume, Jackson happily walked down the street with his siblings as they walked back home at night. Trouble awoken when a group of men had attempted to kidnap the little sister after she strayed away from the brothers. Jackson and his brother chased after them and the older brother engaged in fist fighting to try take down the kidnappers, Jackson on the sideline cheering his bro on. But then there was a bang. Then silence as the older brother fell to the ground, a bullet now lodged in his neck. Enraged, Jackson charged straight at one of the men, tackling them to the ground but was soon overwhelmed by the other kidnappers. Then there was a second bang; the police had arrived but too late. As the criminals surrendered, Jackson ran to his dying brother who, with his own blood, drew a heart on the sidewalk and smiled at his little bro with what strength he had left, "Y-y-you a-ar... are a-a... he-h...hero..."
Scarred by his brother's death, he half-yelled at a police officer with tears in his eyes why there were no heroes around. The response he got was "Maybe they didn't think this was important enough." His heart broke, Jackson wailed that heroes were supposed to help people but he ended up in tears before he could really finish his sentence.
From that day on, Jackson thought if there would be no heroes to help people like one who could have prevented both the death of his brother and his father, he would become one. He trained long and hard before realizing that he wasn't hero material, lacking any special power or immense wealth. But it was his little sister who had discovered the very first super hero comic Jackson ever owned and asked him why did he like it so much. Jackson replied with a "Since he's a guy who helps people" before coming to the conclusion that heroes didn't need special abilities to help people. Since then, Jackson christened himself "Ryder" and has been training to the fullest of his abilities while taking on all the jobs which other heroes would consider to small to be of worth.
Outfit:
Ryder's isn't an actual super hero costume as much as it is a repurposed cosplay outfit that was originally made by his brother which he's upgraded with what he has. The base is a grey-camo military fatigue-styled pants and shit combination. Protection comes in the form of hard PVC plastic upper chest plate, forearm protectors, shinguard and knee guards with metal under them. A body wrap of dense fiber covers most his torso and a utility belt hands around his waist with simple medical supplies and tools stored in pouches. Due to slight eyesight issues he wears a pair of square glasses under his helmet when he takes it off.
In terms of weapons, Ryder uses a simple metal staff which can split in half and be used as two sticks by the way of a simple magnetic twist-lock. Simple but Ryder finds enough use in it for him to treasure it. The only other thing of note is his bike, a simple light frame bicycle spray painted green with a battery-powered headlight and a wire basket in the front which is used as his primary mode of transportation.
Hero Type:
Normal
Power Level:
Street Level
Attributes:
Strength - Normal Speed - 20 mph Endurance - 2 Hours Agility - Average Intelligence - Average Fighting Skill - Trained
Resources:
Average
Weakness:
Ryder is just a normal man. While he has the spirit to be a hero, he lacks any of the superpowers or extraordinary resources of most heroes and gym training can only do so much for him. What other stronger heroes might consider but a scratch could easily prove crippling or even fatal to Ryder.
Additionally, while Ryder isn't naive on how evil and manipulative the world is, he's too nice of a person and is fairly gullible when ti comes to helping people. He just wants to make the world a better place with what he can do even if the world doesn't want him around.
Supporting Character:
Anna Thatch - Jackson's mother who is supportive of her sons efforts saying that she always knew that he had a "big, caring heart". Alice Thatch - Jackson's little sister whose now in middle school and perhaps the most supportive of his brother's actions and often boasts to classmates, "My brother is a hero!" Alex Rodovire - Jackson's best friend whose take it upon himself to a "vow of secrecy" even though Jackson himself doesn't care much for it. Elizabeth Lovgood - Jackson's girlfriend who while is worried about her boyfriend's safety, is confident that he can prevail through anything.
I do pledge myself to our creator and Savior Mahz. For his words art always guiding truth, For his acts art always protect us, For his wisdom art always enlightens us. May our pious devotion to our lord grant us greatness, Hallowed be our Lord. May our choral prayers reach his ears and grant us blessings, Sacred be our Lord. May our dedicated worship grant us rapture, Omnipotent be our Lord.
Our blessed lord requires the ever-loving support of his subjects! He calls for us and our devotion in our darkest days so we may see dawn! Stand with our Lord my people! Rise and give praise to our Lord my people! Shall you sit there and coward in fear? Or Shall you stand amongst giants and do your god given duty? Rise I say! RISE!
Show him your eternal devotion and join the Order of Mahz, For it is in these dark times which the light of our Creator shines brightest! For it is in these dark times which he who hath given us life and purpose demands we repay in full! To Arms my fellow RPers! To Arms my brothers and sisters! To Victory!
"Darling, I don't run away from my past, I run from my future"
Age 30
Race Human
Sex Male
Appearance Caesar is tall and fair man, a handsome air of nobility hangs around him as does a mild sense of enigma. His white hair is ruffled yet refined and his single golden eye has a gentle yet wild flame to it. In terms of clothing, Caesar resigns himself to very ornate and fancy clothing akin to that of military dress uniforms with a white base and details in scarlet red and gold; the sheaths to his swords hang on either side of his waist.
The most striking thing about Caesar is his mask which covers the entire right side of his face. A fine piece of work made to look like porcelain china, he claims that it hides a rather ugly scar but in truth, it hides a mechanical chunk of his face that had been ripped off in fight; the mechanical eye hidden behind the mask is styled like a Victorian clock.
Colors White, Scarlet and Gold
Symbol
Semblance Cassandra Oracle - Caesar can control time to some degree. He can slow down time at his will, however he will tire at an incredibly fast rate with time "slowed" as he isn't actually slowing time, but simply moving faster, forcing him to use more energy for his actions. It also allows him some ability of looking into the future. However, the future he looks into will always be wrong in either minor ways or major ways making his prediction unreliable at best.
Weapon Mors & Horologium Type: Two swords that combine into one; Horologium is the main sword which is the longer of the two, Mors is the shorter one which can be "popped out" from Horologium. They can also be attached together at the hilts to form a sort of double-endedTogether, the two evoke the image of the hands on a clock. Weapon Derivation: Swords Holstered/Sheathed Appearance: The two swords are just in two sheaths made of ivory and gold. Form 1: Swords Form 2: Bladed Staff
(The center piece is more clockwork and gears though)
Personality Despite showing a very charming and otherwise appealing exterior, Caesar is deeply scarred and broken. Due to his constant visions of a (false) future, he's gone slightly mad; the fact that he's seen what he believes to be is his own death isn't helping, neither is his past experiences. For as much as he cares about other people (or pretends to), to say his moral compass if off is an understatement; the needle isn't pointing south, its pointing straight up.
Earth is united under the "Primarch", a man with god-like abilities who abolishes the concepts of ethnicities and religion, citing them as "the root of all strife". Earth is renamed "High Terra" and the Grand Council of Man is set to rule over High Terra and with the Primarch at its head, the Church of Terra and Terranism replaces all world religions and advocates the idea that man is the perfect being and have a destiny to rule over the galaxy. Separate languages are replaced with a single language system: Terran Gothic (or just Gothic).
2077
The moon is colonized and terraformed, complete with a new atmosphere, lush environment and gravitational orbit. Now designated "Lower Terra", the moon serves as High Terra's first off-world colony and home to a new orbital shipyard which are planned to be used in Martian colonization.
2080
Colonization efforts on Mars are successful as terraforming is nearly complete. A major discovery is made on Mars when a strange particle with seemingly magical effects causes an explosion in a lab. All resources are diverted to the research of this new particle which has been dubbed "Animus".
2099
As the door shuts on the 21st millennia, the rest of the Sol System is colonized and terraformed to various degrees and scientists on Terra discover how to manipulate space-time with Animus particles creating the first FTL drive: the Animus Engine. The Primarch announces plans to use the new Animus Engines to fulfill humanity's destiny to lay claim to the stars and is met with great approval, applause, and enthusiasm.
2399
Humanity has now spread its wings across the Milky Way, having colonized or terraformed hundreds of worlds with many a planetary governments rising from the ground, all still connected by their humanity and tied to High Terra. However, given the vast distance from High Terra itself, some worlds no longer feel completely loyal to High Terra and sentiments for independence takes root.
2421
During the 350th Unification Day celebration, the Primarch is assassinated with many worlds banning together under the banner of the "Federation of Free World". The Primarch is quickly incorporated into Terranism as a god as High Terra declares war on the Federation. Humanity is split between the Loyalists and the Federalists as mankind's greatest civil war unfolds.
2439
After many long years of war, the Loyalists win over the Federalists in the "Great Divide". High Terra reforms its government to be more galactic thus creating the "Grand Human Union" and reincorporates former Federalist worlds. Worlds from both sides begin rebuilding and licking their wounds.
2541
Wounds from the Great Divide are largely healed even if some minor resentments linger on. While researching into the Animus Particles which had granted mankind its galaxy-spanning empire, researchers on the planet Ennedi discover an entirely other dimension called the "Arcanum" in which Animus Particles splinter from.
2542
A mysterious portal opens up in the Ennedi city of Praeterii and a fantasy army marches out, brining along mythical beasts and killing hundreds of thousands before the local garrison kills the army and barricades the new "Gate". On High Terra, officials vote to create a new regiment to be sent into the Gate to explore and either make peace with the enemy or destroy them.
Hello! Welcome to This Beautiful World, an RP inspired by GATE, 40k, Warhammer, Elder Scrolls and some other things. If you've read through all of that, I can at least assume you're interested in this RP. I'm going to be apologizing to the people who don't like having to read a lot of stuff, but since I don't have an actual lore to go off of, I'm basically need to explain everything to y'all from the start.
TBW will be an RP focusing around the 1st Recon Force, attached to the newly created 23rd Expeditionary Regiment that was sent into the newly discovered "Deaus" that is tasked with exploring and setting up a base. However, there will be little world building in terms of creating something entirely new but there will be some openings. There will also be more than just Union Soldiers you can play as; you can play as Union diplomats or a fantasy character. Two points about writing is that this will be at a casual level meaning that one to two paragraph posts are okay as long as they're well-written, I don't need you to write out the Bible in a post. The second point is REALLY IMPORTANT, I want people to accurately act out the sort of culture shock between the sci-fi and the fantasy worlds; things we'd consider basic like pens, public buildings (ie libraries and public school) and even printed books do not exist in the Deaus.
Somethings to note is that as the RP moves forward, I will be adding and expanding on to things so things like weapons, races, kingdoms, orders, etc will be introduced into the RP. If things look blank or you have questions about the setting which aren't explained/mentioned, there's a good chance I will be adding that later on.
SCI-FI
Flag of High Terra and the GHU
Our world, the Grand Human Union is comprised of hundreds if not thousands of worlds, stations and bases. Since its establishment on High Terra, the GHU (or the Union) has made its message clear: humanity is destined for the stars. Echoing the words of its founder, the Primarch, the Union has since expanded and lays claim to the entirety of the Milky Way.
However, due to its immense size and scale, High Terra itself has little direct control over anything not in the Sol System. For the most part, worlds are controlled by local planetary ministers or governors who are kept in control by one or more members of the Inquisition. Of course, the exact number of Inquisitors varies from world to world, some troublesome or heretical ones having more while others have less or simply have less power due to local power structures. Such independence means that each world is free to pursue whatever it wishes and may instate whatever law its wished upon its people so long it does not go agains the Terran Creed, which the Inquisitors do to great effect.
However, this does mean that wars can and do break out between worlds as long as these wars remain small and do not affect the Union at large. In the case it does escalate into something large, the Union will go in an dissolve the situation by sword or by words. If the conflict becomes even larger and the worlds are of little special interest, the Union will not hesitate to simply destroy the world as they do with rebellious worlds of little importance.
Officially the "Grand Armies of Man" and informally the "Union Army", the GHU military is split between Ground Command (Gro-Com) and Naval Command (Nav-Com), which each having a variety of corps under them such as Armored Corps, Orbital Corps, etc. All worlds are required to send able bodied men and women to the GHU military as part of the Grand Tithe which also includes material tribute as well as manpower. However, due to wide variety of worlds, no world raises the same type of soldiers or regiments and there is only a very loose concept of "standardized soldier".
Terranism is the current religion/ideological belief of the Union. Its main tenants are unity and promotion of pro-human ideas, at least that's what the Primarch originally made it to be. Nowadays worlds and people interpret that message differently, some sticking true to the original idea, some strictly following the Terran Divinicus, Terranism's holy text and go as far as to use a code of law based on it called "Gospel Law", some ignore it all together and remain atheistic.
The Inquisition is a religious organization originally created as the Primarch's personal guards. However, after his death, they became "preservers of his legacy" who regularly assisted people and set up missions not only to preach Terranism but also act as hospitals and schools for worlds and areas who didn't have any. Despite their good and noble origins however, they have changed greatly since their creation centuries ago.
Now they are the "enforcers of the Primarch's will" and are known to do exactly that by any means deemed necessary and strictly follow Gospel Law to the point of fanaticism. While they are not always precent in every system or world, their brutal tactics are more than well known. Powerful people who spoke against them suddenly disappearing with bloodied corpses found months later, the purging of thousands if not millions of "heretics" on a separate worlds, brutal interrogations, public summary execution and witch hunts; even the most pious worlds disapprove of their version of Terranism but cannot do a thing since not only is the Inquesition above the law, they are law in places where normal judges are "unavailable". In their eyes, former Federalists are beyond contempt and looked upon with the highest of disgust but act every kind and caring to Loyalists, even more so to those who are very pious.
FANTASY
Deaus, also known as the "Other World" is much akin to the fantasy medieval world that we know. Lords and kings vie for power and money with petty squabbles and great wars of honor and glory. Commoners are mere pawns of the nobility who look down on them. Humans span great domains across the globe, elves hide away in mythical forests and grand hidden castles, and dwarves hammer away deep below the ground to the beat of the earth. Things like gunpowder and the printing press have yet to be even dreamt of. Its world is vast, endless some say, full of exotic environments and magical people; a beautiful land of endless dream and wonder.
Magic in theory exists in both worlds as the Arcanum spans multiple dimension and universes, but only the people from the Deaus can really use it. That is because where as humans evolved from apes on Earth, the humans in the Deaus are actually decedents of elves who have a natural affinity towards magic. High amounts of industry also weaken the Arcanum's presence which is by older earth could be seen as the more magical era of human history.
As for how it works, the Arcanum can be compared to the Warp of 40k; everything is based upon belief. The more you belief something will happen and the clearer your mind is at focusing on that single belief the stronger the out come will be. The people of Deaus already know that magic exists and they can use it, hence why they can use magic. Normal humans however cannot use magic as they have long given up on the idea of magic outside of fantasy.
In a way, mages and magic users are like monks who train their minds to focus on single things or devote themselves to their beliefs enough that their beliefs are true. The strength of the Arcanum's gift will also increase with the amount of people with the same wish, thus a group of mages all focusing on casting a fire spell will see that spell's damage and ability increase greatly. This also works the same way with Gods in Deaus, enough people believe that they exist so they do exist within the Arcanum.
Also called Arcanum Lore, Arcane Arts, Lore Spells or some variation of those word, Arcane Lores refer the various schools of magic within Deaus and schools are often referred to as "Books" referring to how all known spells originally came from a mysterious book called the "Arcanum Infintium Magnus". Some races can only use certain Lores or have a preference to certain Lores. Currently mainstream Lores include:
- Book of Blazing (Fire) - Focusing on throwing fireballs and stuff like that, Book of Blazing is a very straight forward Lore and understandably has the most military application in terms of brute (magical) force. It all dedicated to burning as many people as is immorally possible in many different ways: you can burn multiple people, you can summon out a giant fireball from the sky to explode and catch a bunch of people on fire, you can cause someone to spontaneously combust, fun times all around. There is a single non-combat spell however which allows people to fight better and longer, gaining levels of courage and bravery that would make even the most cowardly of men into stout warriors but alas this is a spell that has been lost to the ages.
- Book of Tempest (Storm) - A more passive Lore than the Book of Blazing, Book of Tempest focuses around stuff like lighting and thunder and not that much on wind as that is part of the Book of Aether. This is a much more "tactical" Lore, mostly used to block off certain areas and locations or scare animals and beasts with thunder and lighting. Book of Tempest however is still capable of dealing damage, most through chaining lighting arcs.
- Book of Aether (Wind) - Similar to Book of Tempest, Book of Air utilizes wind-based magics and is often considered the "pacifist's Lore" as none of its spells will do as much damage as something like Book of Blazing or Book of Frost but can still provide a very dangerous foe to some. Spells from Book of Aether can grant flight and summon out high winds which can be controlled as well as letting users choke enemies from afar. There are also a few "Invigorate" spells which deal with boasting someone's energy and stamina.
- Book of Aqua (Water) - Understandably popular with sailors and ship captains, Book of Aqua deals with controlling water in its liquid form. Although its simplistic as the entire premise of the Book of Aqua is literally different levels of water manipulation, anyone knows to stay away from angry mages adept at the Book of Aqua.
- Book of Frost (Ice) - Akin to Book of Aqua, Book of Frost deals with water in its solid form and is regarded as one of the more aggressive combat-oriented Lores like Book of Blazing. It works both offensively and defensively by creating dangerous ice spikes to impale your enemies as they are trapped behind great ice walls. Book of Frost is often cited as a favorite Lore amongst generals and leaders, especially those who prefer to defend.
- Book of Blessing (Light) - Of all things divine and holy, Book of Blessing is also known as the "Healing Book" as that is what Book of Blessing spells are most famous for; healing, helping and protecting. Book of Blessing is a very well balanced Lore which grants holy arms and armor, inspire bravery and courage, heal the wounded and even grant wings to fly. Its also very effective against unholy creatures such as daemons, undead and hellspawn.
- Book of Chaos (Dark) - The sins which lead the way, while not outright banned, the Book of Chaos is by far the most disdained and tabooed Lore in mainstream magic. Focusing on incarnating sins, Chaos Lore often grants some pretty extreme buffs in return for one's soul and humanity. Its said that one can even summon forth Daemons using the Book of Chaos but again, no one really knows; Book of Chaos is one of the least documented and practiced Lores by anyone professional or official and anyone caught dabbling in it will most likely be thrown out of whatever area they are in or at least heavily discriminated against or even killed outright: there's a reason why Book of Chaos users are as rare as those who use Lost Lores.
Beyond the mainstream Lores are rare, some of which are directly outlawed leading them to be called the "Lost Lores" or the "Forbidden Lores". Only the oldest and wisest of mages and wizards will ever come close to learning about these; Incarnates however are naturally gifted to be able to use these Lores depending on their patron deity.
- Book of Alchemy (Metal) - The legendary ability to change metal into any other metal; although most famous for changing things into gold, it has many other uses like being able to transmute swords into lead, making them heavy and unwieldy or curse iron into weak and brittle rust.
- Book of Murder (Death) - Perhaps the most "common" Lost Lore even though its small number of users are almost exclusively radical dark elves. Despite its name and attribute, Book of Murder is less focused on directed death and more focused towards blood, pain and weakening via decay. Nicknamed the "Book of Bloody Death", the results of these spells are gruesome and gory to say the least.
- Book of Souls (Spirit) - Dealing with the "neutral" Arcanum, Book of Souls occupies a strange midway between Book of Murder and Book of Genesis as well as Book of Blessing and Book of Chaos. Most spells from this Lore deal with turning the user into a temporary soul or granting ghostly/spirit-like powers. Although this also deals with bringing the dead back to life or possessing people or objects in an art often cited as "undeath". Necromancy and summoning of spiritual beings fall under this category, Book of Souls also plays a key role in the control or creation golems and the like.
- Book of Genesis (Life) - The holiest of all Lores, Book of Genesis grants spells of life and is often seen as the "super Book of Blessing". Users can not only bring people back from the dead in their pure, untainted forms (which Book of Souls cannot do) but also key to turn undead into allies as well as playing a key role in the creation of golems.
- Book of Prophet (Time) - With almost all recorded users being Incarnates, Book of Prophet is not only one of the most outlawed Lores universally, its also the least documented as well; most users barely known because... well... who knows what kind of time limy wimy shenanigans they've been up too?
- Book of Evolution (Change) - An equally mysterious Lore like Book of Prophet, Book of Evolution deals with the altering of the physical world within its limits. Its both the strongest and weakest Lore as none of its effects will have quite the potency which similar spells from other Lores will, lacks the ability to directly kill or resurrect and is not like Book of Circus where it can break the laws and limits of magic and the world.
- Book of Circus (Insanity) - Magic which breaks all other laws of the physical world and magic; the black sheep of Arcane Lores. Book of Circus is technically the most common Lore as all madmen have minor knowledge of this Lore but lack any knowledge of how to actually conjure up the knowledge. Its incredibly hard to tell if a Book of Circus mage if casting a spell or showing off some new aerobic yoga hipster post-modern dance routine. Sometimes the idiocy is the spell.
Humans (Sci-Fi)
Standard fare Homo Sapiens. Nothing to incredible about them that what's been said already and what will be said in the Home World section.
Humans (Fantasy)
Slightly more interesting than normal humans from our candy bar galaxy. Besides being able to use magic, they actually evolved from elves (or devolved depending on how much of a snooty elf you are you look at it which is also a reason they can use magic in the first place; creationists rejoice! \[+]/
Wood Elves
Pointy ear hippies creatures who excel at archery and graceful swordsmanship. Their magic most revolves around the channel of natural forces and also lets them tame most beasts much more easily than others. Although they mostly live in forest villages, some have taken liking towards city life. Generally the most chill out of all elven races.
Dark Elves
A lot like Wood Elves, just with darker skin tones and a preference for darker colors. Unlike the weapons and clothing of Wood Elves, Dark Elves have a lot more spikes, edges and painful looking things. Despite their appearance and otherwise sadistic nature, Dark Elves are actually pretty nice people. They still are some creepy mofos though with all their bloodlust in battle and worshiping of their elder gods called the "Old Ones".
Faunus
An umbrella term given to people with animal-like features or behaviors. Faunus can display a wide spectrum of traits from different animals, from cats to dogs, birds to snakes and sheep to wolves. Almost always have some trait from the animal they resemble which they have. Faunus children do not follow genetics in the normal sense but instead are "assigned" an animal by the Gods at birth.
Faeries
Small, tiny little people with small wings that let them zip around who rarely fight and are typically very peaceful little things. Most of them naturally glow to some degree and can make excellent night lights when they go out at night and fly about the streets. Many Faeries don't have proper homes, instead crafting their own in niches and corners while still making them comfy and pretty. As one would expect, in order for Faeries to cast spells worth mention, they require a group of Faeries working in tangent to summon up the Arcanum.
Drow Elves
The youngest of the elven races and is actually a mix of Snow and High elves after the High Elves were driven from their lands and positions of nobility after the Wood and Dark elves they ruled over rebelled and ran off into the World End Mountains. Drow elves are perhaps the most typical of elves in fantasy, noble and prideful people whose every action is regal and graceful. They live exclusively in the World End Mountains making them a rare sight but have unrivaled magical abilities. Rumors speak of a hidden fortress in a mythical forest somewhere outside of the World End Mountains which they can be found but so far, no one has ever found them, or at least come out.
Dwemer Elves
A long dead race of elves who once lived in great underground halls of the World End Mountains. For reasons unknown, they failed to be able to have access to the Arcanum in the way which their cousins did and instead indirectly used the Arcanum through runes and runesmithing. They were a race of master engineers who masterfully blended magic and technology, making them the most advanced race in Deaus before they mysteriously disappeared. Current theories and stories suggest that they had gotten so cocky of their technology that they challenged the Gods with it before being removed from the world as punishment. Now their great underground cities lay silent and closed off, no one able to get in to one of their cities.
Daemons
The "dark side" of the Arcanum, Daemons represent the embodiment of sin and darkness but are not inherently evil. Daemons range from succubi, bloodletters, trickers and hellspawn and while not always the most trustworthy or kind or even sanest of people, they do have some emotions and compassion. Stories tell tales of daemons who actually have saved people or fought each other to prevent one from wrecking chaos on settlements. Daemons nowadays rarely travel beyond the Arcanum so seeing them in Deaus is very rare.
Angels
The "light side" of the Arcanum, Angels represent the embodiment of justice and light but are not inherently good. There are instances which Angels will act very immorally as they do not see morality as one of their pillars or virtue, but instead justice which they will carry out by any means necessary. These beings can be just as merciless and violent as Daemons in truth. Angels nowadays rarely travel beyond the Arcanum so seeing them in Deaus is very rare.
Incarnates
Demigods of Deaus, Incarnates are those chosen few who are picked by a god to become their avatar and representative in the mortal world on Deaus. Although anyone from any race or walk of life, the process of choosing differs from God to God, but once chosen the Incarnate will stop aging and live on for an additional 1000 years where they will then become lesser gods serving under their God or become a Daemon/Angel. One point to note is that all Incarnate lack natural, organic hearts and instead use a "Arcane Pump" located where their heart would be; this Arcane Pump is what grants Incarnates immortality as well as whatever power their God has bestowed upon them.
Oqer
A race of mysterious but ruthless, savage green monsters with thick hides and incredible strength. They organize themselves into semi-autonomous tribal hordes, all of them ruled over by the biggest, stronger and angriest Oqer of them all, the Warboss. They once plagued the settled towns of Deaus but ever since Warboss Grimgor Ironhide lead them over the World Edge Mountains, they have not been heard since but to this day they still unnerve people. The term Oqer not only refers to the Oqer themselves, but also the spindly, cowardly Kobolds and the huge, lumbering Giants.
RULES
Standard RP rules; I'm okay with violence (as this RP is literally built off of violence in a way) but there's no need to detail how you gutted someone and used their organs as wall decorations. Also, if you manage to get a sex scene worked in, do take it to PMs, I don't want Mahz or a mod coming down on me since someone wrote 50 Shades of Grey into this RP (which truthfully would be impressive).
GM and co-GMs are your ever benevolent dictators/gods/eternal glorious leaders/etc.
Rules may be changed at any time without warning and GM is allowed to break rules at will.
I expect balanced and creative characters who act in realistic manners according to their personality. I have a personal hatred against mary/gary sues and pure amounts of edge as well as bland, over-done cliche characters. Fair warning, I do judge rather strictly.
Chars tab is for finished characters only, the OOC will be used for WIP/Unapproved characters.
To prove you've read the rules, please insult me when your character is accepted and moved to the Char tab. Be creative with this.
Keep all drama IC or in PMs, I'm fine if the OOC get filled with shitposts, giggles and dank memes but there are better places for needless arguments. Also, don't be a dick.
Have fun! ^^
HOME WORLDS
Home worlds are the places of origin for the sci-fi characters, all of which are in GHU territory. These list out the places of origins which your character may hail from and includes their stereotyped mannerisms, special bonuses, and armor and weapon appearances. The stereotype is just a stereotype of how people from that planet act in the eyes of everyone else so there is a bit of leeway in how strictly your character follows the stereotypes; having a character with a drastically different personality than the assumed personality of their home world will require some impressive writing to convince me to accept. Ideally we'd be able to get a mix of people from all the worlds as one of the not-so-subtle points I'm trying to drive here is that humanity's diversity is an amazing thing. We might end up having standardized gear later on however.
High Terra
The cradle of man and holy place of Terranism. Despite its wide variety of people, there is only one race and ethnicity: human. The people of High Terra are usually seen as the elites or nobles of the GHU and often act so. Their soldiers are often see as a "stock" soldier meaning they are the template of the average soldier, albeit somewhat more zealous. They are very flexible, able to do fill many different roles because of this. They're also the only ones equipped with automatic laser weapons.
M-54A1 Battle Rifle
One of the few laser handheld energy weapons of the Union, only the soldiers of High Terra itself are allowed to use these high tech energy rifles. There is little recoil produced from firing this weapon, less noise than a standard rifle and gravity barely affects it. Despite is awesome abilities of dealing significant damage, its major flaw is that each shot gets weaker as the battery drains and repeated constant use with no break will cause the lens and barrel to deform and the gun to break.
-- Personality: High and mighty, aristocratic-like, regal, noble, elitist, benevolent, slightly tsundere. -- Special: Nothing and that's why they're great, they aren't tethered to any single method or role.
Imperial Republic of Fuso
One of the major Federalist powers, Fuso lays claim to the most advanced robotics and blades in the Union, their soldiers often packing small assist drones and officers guarded by full sized war machines. When not in armor, Fusans are known for care free attitudes and have a (in)famous promiscuity streak. Under regular circumstances, Fusans seem to be incompetent soldiers, lacking discipline and even going against command, but come crunch time Fusans work remarkably well under stress.
Type 108 Automatic Carbine
A surprisingly simple weapon from a planet obsessed with technology, the Type 108 is a short barreled assault rifle that has its roots in the Khorenheim STGm-71; the very first model of the Type 108 was basically an STGm. Of course, Fuso had modified it to fit their needs and have thus created a much lighter weapon, although not to the same quality as the STGm, but it does mean that the Type 108 is much easier to produce.
-- Personality: Care free, salacious, lazy-looking and cheery but in combat they remain level headed and calm; almost seem to not suffer from any stress-based issues. -- Special: Soldiers can have robotic companions and are highly skilled in melee.
Khorenheim Reich
Stout and serious people, Khorenheim engineering and soldiering is second to none. Highly intelligent and strict people, they were amongst High Terra's best during the Great Divide whose disciplined troops stood as the elite infantry corp of the Loyalist forces who are famous for following orders down to the letter. Being so serious, they are often seen as lacking as sense of humor and don't understand metaphors, taking everything literally or seriously, get them drunk however and they show a dramatically different side comparable to Fusans. Their weaponry are less tool of war and more masterpieces of military engineering, large amounts of the GHU's armored might is actually built or designed by the Khorenheim Reich. Most Khorenheimers have a linger resentment against the People's Republic of Novogorod who occupied their planet during the Great Divide.
STGm-71
A prime example of Khorenheim engineering prowess, the STGm-71 is considered one of the best guns in the Union despite the basic design being well over a hundred years old. Over looking production costs, the STGm combines a stong firing mechanism, robust recoil compensation, a comfortable grip and cheek rest and superb accuracy, all to help soldiers deal out death in 30 round magazines.
-- Personality: Hard working, serious, literal, disciplined, a bit terrifying, concerned with protocol and strict; just don't get them drunk. -- Special: Seen as the best soldiers that man can naturally produce; dislikes people of Novogorodian blood.
People's Republic of Novogorod
Brawny and reckless ex-Federalists who hail from the ice world of Novogord, these soldiers have an infamous streak in the GHU for being notoriously undisciplined and unorganized. Some say they are less of an army and more of a well armed mob. Novogorodian soldiers aren't reliable when following exact orders and will often find a way to twist words to favor them. However, they are fierce fighters and extremely dependable when they put their heart to something surprisingly. Although some think of them as stupid brutes with guns, PRN soldiers are incredibly crafty, always able to make something from nearly anything. A saying goes that "you can tell when you have a veteran PRN soldier amongst you quite easily; just look for the guy who can make anything from nothing."
AKN-74z Assault Rifle
Cited as one of the most plentiful weapons in the Union, the AKN-74z's uniqueness comes from the simplicity of its creation. Although it may not be the most comfortable gun or accurate, it gets the job done it its sturdiness is a feat of its own. The AKN lays claim to the simplest weapon in the Union with easy to replace parts. As one would expect from PRN soldiers, there are no AKNs that are alike once they enter service as each soldier personalizes the gun to their taste and needs.
-- Personality: Disorganized, undisciplined and generally frowned upon by others but not really giving a shit about that; also highly skilled at twisting words in their favor and improvising creations on the go. -- Special: Improvisational MacGyerism and jury rigging; dislikes Khorenheim
Planetary Domain of Avalia
Born on a world of steep cliffs and high cliffs, the men and women of Avalia are naturally gifted with very efficient lungs and an aptitude towards flying. They are a free spirited and daring people, often regarded as some of the most fearless people who don't back down from any challenge. The soldiers of Avalia who fought for High Terra reflect their home world and their personality, highly mobile through the use of jet packs, jump jets and gliders, making them very effective scouts. They also work well as space marines as their suits are completely sealed letting their soldiers venture into space, using jump jet boosters to maneuver.
ARAMS 41 Assault Carbine
A state project of the Avalian planetary government, the ARAMS 41 is a lightweight rifle that is perfect for new age paratroopers which the Avalians often fill. It boasts expectational range and can double as a DMR assuming the user has the proper attachments and training.
-- Personality: Free spirited, jumpy, brave (if not a bit reckless) and something of adrenaline junkies; love flying and dislike having to sit in one place for too long. -- Special: Highly mobile and willing soldiers, amazing pilots.
Ennedi
A relatively minor Loyalist terraformed desert world, Ennedi is a planet dedicated to research, making great strides in solar technology before switching to researching the Arcanum. They have an interesting habit of mixing religious buildings with research centers and are noted as some of the most zealous and devoted followers of Terranism. Normally they would never have their own standing army, preferring to rely on well trained and equipped militia. Of course, with their world having come under attack, they shifted to a more aggressive approach, putting years of sun-based weapons to work. Ennedi soldiers are famous for their devotion to their faith and their solar and fire based weaponry.
SRS-4 Solar Energy Lance
A weapon used exclusively by the Ennedi, the SRS-4 is a long range, precision marksmen rifle which uses a beam of pure, super heated plasma to melt through any armor known to the Union. It often goes under names like "Solar Lance" or "Sun Sniper" or "Light Spear" in the field as the bolt gives off a faint arrow head-shape in travel. Unlike conventional snipers, the Solar Lance doesn't suffer from bullet velocity drop but instead plasma disintegration where the bolt becomes weaker the long it travels will eventually cease to do damage or exist.
-- Personality: Zealous, smart, inquisitive mind, dedicated and focused, stalwart; have something of a pyromania streak. -- Special: Deadly fire and solar energy weapons that can melt through anything
Other Equipment
Weapons, vehicles and equipment that are used by the GHU. Common weapons refer to to weapons which almost all soldiers can use, special weapons require additional training or assigned on a mission-by-mission basis. At the start at least, it would be preferable for people to just stick with their home world's native weapons (ie only Ennedi at the start can use a Tesla Beacon). I will allow people to start switching weapons around later on. However, robots can only be used/assigned by Fusan soldiers/officers. As for vehicles, most will be purely for fluff purposes; the 1st Recon will only be using two LCTs and a Thorgrim AFV most of the time.
Common Weapons
M3P-4 10mm Pistol
Standing for Military Personal Protection Pistol, the M3P-4 or just the "10mm" is the standard side arm of all Union military personal. It boasts a solid construction and high damaging rounds, recoil mitigation mechanisms and an internal silencer to reduce the noise makes it a very popular handgun to the point that some soldiers actually prefer the handgun over their primary rifle!
RO-3 Omni Grenade
Standard grenade of the Union; its a fine tuned mix of high explosive and frag with a large blast radius. Good in open areas, not recommend to be used danger close. Some soldiers (namely PRN) take to wrapping the grenade in a cloth with scrap metal fragments to make whats known as a "Splinter" grenade.
Type-0 Warblade
Used exclusively by Fusan troops who carry the Type-0 Warblade instead of a normal combat knife, these Warblades are not only incredibly sharp, they use a blade of high-frequency oscillating particles, allowing them to cut matter on a molecular level. This is also the reason the blades radiates a certain purple-blue hue. It goes without saying that if you lack special training with such weapons, you will end up hurting yourself.
M2501 LMG
Standard general purpose LMG of the Union, it finds a great deal of use and every squad carries one. It has an internal magnet system which acts like a pseudo-railgun mechanism that give the bullets and extra bit of punch, can be belt fed or drum fed.
Hiver-9 Missile Launcher
A versatile missile launcher that can launch many different types of missiles, both fire and forget and heat seeking. Amongst the variants of missile the Hiver-9 can use include high explosive, incendiary, EMP, thermite smoke and shaped head Armor Piercing but its most famous ammunition is the namesake Hiver-9 Missile which is actually a canister with 9 mini homing missiles that hound targets like angry wasps. Generally one can be found in each car as the primary tactical explosive weapon, albeit without the signature Hiver-9 munition.
Special Weapons
ROC-1A "Fisto" Industrial Power Gauntlet
A repurposed industrial mining tool from the PRN during the Great Divide, the Fisto or "Da Fist" as its sometimes called, as seen a resurgence amongst soldiers drafted from working class backgrounds. Its heavy, its loud, its bulky but the PRN loves it, the thing can literally smash someone's face in as well as armor. Most users fashion themselves as dedicate melee troops as the gauntlet makes it difficult to use a rifle.
MG24k Mk. VII
Heavy machine gun of the Union, finds just about as much if not more use than its smaller cousin. Built by the Khorenheim Reich at the end of the 24th millennia, the Mk. I version was the first attempt at creating a double barreled .50 caliber heavy machine gun. Of course, the first version was almost scrapped until an enterprising engineer from the PRN of all places picked it up and improved it, adding an innovating recoil control and computer assisted sights. The modern Mk. VII can be seen in nearly all vehicles and common on the field, began operated by 2-3 man MG crews.
Killshot RPG
PRN engineering and weapon ideology at its best and worse; unlike the Hiver-9 that is meant to use many types of specialized ammunitions, the Killshot RPG is just meant for one thing and one thing only: completely fucking up someone's day. Its a mixture of highly explosive compounds packed into an armor piercing shaped charge head. Not typically used since it an infamous history of causing "Blastshot" where instead of hitting the target, it breaks up and turns into a deadly cluster bomb mid air that's completely unpredictable.
Tesla Beacon
One of Ennedi's creation, the Tesla Beacon is basically a guided fusion cannon with similar technology to that of their Solar Lance. In laymen's terms, one could think of this as an upsized Solar Lance with much higher range and damage potential.
Flammernwerfer-98
Surprisingly not made by the pyromaniac Ennedi or even originally supposed to be a weapon, the Flammenwerfer (or just Flamer) is actually a militarized version of a Khorenheim industrial watering can. The hellfire flames are produced by a special mixture of napalm, refined gasoline, concentrated flammable chemical compounds and nitroglycerin. When asked on how one could get a watering can that's even remotely close to a flame thrower, most Khorenheim will just say "we use industrial watering cans because we're an industrious planet."
Recoilless Magnetic Acceleration Cannon 3
RMAC for short, this weapon is the absolutely necessary railgun for any sci-fi army. While one might say that the RMAC has little use in comparison to the Tesla Beacon or Hiver-9, the RMAC carries a small but highly focused ferric-tungsten slug without bullet drop. Basically its used to put a nice big hole into some poor sod, five miles away.
Robots
MXR Drones
A small drone capable of providing fire support with its SMG, these are exclusively given to Fusan troops most the time. However, Fusan officers are known to give these to worthy individuals who prove themselves in battles as sort of awards. Fusan troops often fight hard over who will get MXR Drones since unlike normal awards, these awards can actually save your life.
Autonomous Robotic Military Action Unit
Commonly called "ARMA Drones" or "ARMA bots", ARMA units as a whole are a specialty from Fuso which only Fusan officers can have access to. They are completely autonomous but yet completely loyal and are considered one of the most cutting edge technologies in the entire Union. Although they have two mechanical hand and are able to use most weapons, many ARMA units have developed a personal preference to using the Fusan Warblade in one hand and the machine guns hidden in their right arms for ranged.
Vehicles
Light Combat Transport (LCT)
Armored transport of the Union, these are basically the universal carriers, tractors and trucks of the GHU; scifi humvees if you will. They can be armed with a variety of weapons (most usually an MG24k), can hold 6 to 8 people in the back (where the passenger entrance also is), and is equipped with medikits, survival gear, additional munitions and a Hiver-9 missile launcher.
Thorgrim AFV
The primary armored fighting vehicle of the GHU, they're basically the evolution of armored cars. The Thorgrim requires 3 soldiers to operate and is armed with a twin linked 30mm autocannons, side mounted launchers (used for launching smoke or mortars) and two racks of 50mm heat-seeking missiles. The Thorgrim gets its name from a Khorenheim soldier that improvised a very effective armored car in the middle of a battle by creating a turret out of some Hiver-9 missile launchers and having a friend drive him; Thorgrim himself would later be killed when the car exploded but his friend made it out okay.
PK3 Panzervorn MBT
A brainchild of a High Terra-Khorenheim cooperation, the PK3 is the main battle tank of the Union, this monster comes loaded with a devastating 175mm smoothbore main gun and rapid autoloader as well as a turret-mounted MG24k. A set of interlocking tracks, superb hydraulic suspension and an efficient V10 engine lets it go just about any where and its sturdy armor of depleted uranium alloy protects it from almost anything.
Mk. IV Exusuit "Guardsmen"
Based on a High Terran model of environmental from the mid 2300's, the Guardsmen Exosuit is about as heavily a heavily armored you can get for a normal foot soldier and is quite literally mechanized infantry. The unit boasts huge amounts of frontal armor and enhances the user's strength to the point they can easily flip LCTs. The most common armament are tri-barreled rotary cannons, although a wide variety of weapons are used by different users from MG24ks to Flamers to Tesla Beacons.
FX-09b "Heartbreaker" Fighter
Two-man multipurpose strike fighter of the GHU, they get their name from the Heartbreaker rockets they use as one of their primary hard point options. Outside of rockets, the FX can use bombs, recon and scanning equipment and small drones on its hard points but its primary weapons are its two twin-linked chain guns. Its actually doubles as a space fighter with some helpful inbuilt modifications to allow it to do so.
ASM Phantom Attack VOTL
An advanced gunship that plays an important part of the GHU's ariel support. Phantoms are quite heavily armored, carrying two dual-linked autocannons, a tribarrelled rotary cannon on the front as well as racks for bombs or rockets. Nearly completely silent and undetectable by conventional means, Phantoms can suddenly drop in and wipe out swaths of soldiers before dissapearing as fast as it came.
ATM Charon Dropship
A heavily armored dropship transport used by the GHU to insert and transport troops. Its only armaments are its twin-linked rotary cannons at the front and an MG24k at the back on a mount which attaches to the interior wall. It loads and unloads troops using a ramp in the back and has several magnetic hooks on the overhang for soldiers to use ropes and rappel down from. The Charon can comfortably seat over a dozen troops and still have some room for supplies.
EVA-01 Model "Shinji"
Super heavy walkers from Fuso, colloquially known as EVA units. These metal monsters tower well over 20 feet and have the strength to throw around Charon Dropships like toys. Typically only piloted by native Fusans, EVAs have their own special upscaled versions of infantry weapons and have AIs built into them so they can act as autonomous units without pilots if need be.
KINGDOMS
Similar to Home Worlds, Kingdoms are the point of origin for the fantasy characters. Its also assumed that your character would have stayed in once place for most of their lives although you are allowed to be of mixed descent. Like Home Worlds, certain Kingdoms will excel at certain types of magic and have a certain atheistic to them, however they do not have stereotypical personalities.
Grand Empire of Imperia
The unified power of the region which controls nearly all other known human kingdoms and states. Lead by Emperor Fraxius ve Holsburg, the seat of the Empire's power is in its namesake homeland and capitol, Imperia. However big Imperia itself may be though, it still holds a considerable amount of land through its feudal vassals which work exactly like a feudal monarchy; vassals pay men and tribute as local rulers submit to an oath of loyalty to the Emperor. Politically, the Emperor makes all decisions and rules with absolute power relating to most national issues but it is the Imperial Senate who makes most of the day to day power. Filled with powerful generals, wealthy nobles, and educated politicians, one could argue that the Senate has more power than the Emperor although there have been no attacks on any recent Emperors.
Militarily, the Empire's armies are organized into legions; although the Empire mostly employs spearmen, they also utilize cavalry, archers, siege engines such as battering rams, ballistae, and trebuchets, and dragon riders. They also have their own knightly order called the Order of the Stardust Crusade and employ the Crusaders as their elite shock units. Magic is also used, mostly in the form of magical artillery and healing either by independently paid mercenaries mages who officers pay for personally or mages trained by the Imperial College of Arcane Arts.
Domestically, the Empire is as strong economically as it is militarily, a well crafted and enforced taxation system and vassal tributes keep the coffers of the Emperor well lined. Although Deaus is a land filled with vast, bountiful amounts of natural resources, their pre-industrial technology means that by and large they fail to properly exploit their resources to their fullest. And while they boast of high education rates, much of the masses are not actually educated with most merchants having to do simple math on paper or use tools. Only the wealthy can afford education at either a Shrine, the Imperial College of Arcane Arts, the Imperial War Academy or private tutors.
One particular element that should also be noted of the Empire's economy and culture is slavery. It the Empire exists a market completely dedicated to the trade of slaves and that the slaves are used for forced labor and sexual exploitation in inhumane and life-threatening conditions. The enslavement of the war prisoners seems to be a widely accepted and deeply rooted custom of the imperial culture. The enslavement of war prisoners is considered by the imperial citizens, or at least by the imperial royalty, to be a part of the natural order of things: the victor decides the fate of the loser (something the GHU widely condemns as abominable).
Wise and deep, Emperor Fraxius is considered one of the sharpest minds to have ever been blessed by the gods and touched by Deaus. Despite being an incredible leader and an honorable man, his age is finally catching up to him and his health is slowly decaying and failing, not helping that his son is far from what you would call a good leader or even a good human. He is currently seeking peace with the GHU after seeing the great difference between the two worlds but his efforts are hampered by the warmongers in the Senate.
Heir to the Imperial throne, Korthal is a cruel and brutish man whose self serving ego and pride knows no bounds as the stomps around doing as he wishes. With a harem of slaves on one side and his army of Prince Highguards who operate outside the laws, Korthal can sate his unending perversion and bloodlust. As of recently he's gathered all the warhawks in the Imperial senate to attempt to utterly crush the GHU forces but remains blind to the points which the pro-peace "doves" say will destroy the Empire. His power over the Cainhurst Blackiron Order is something else which many are suspicious of.
Crown of Sarleon
The largest vassal under the control of Imperia, Sarleon is famed for its longbow men and its piety. Lead by Queen Ilizibera the Third, the lands of Sarleon are filled with shrines and temples to the various Gods even if there are no shrines which house Incarnates. They also maintain an incredibly effective policing and interal spy network called the "Overseer Guard" whose control possibly extends beyond Sarleon and even the Empire as a whole itself.
Grand Duchy of Navaria
A smaller duchy lead by Princess Sophalia and in a royal marriage with the Crown of Sarleon, Navaria is rather unremarkable outside its massive farms which are sometimes called the "bread basket of the Empire". Due to its size and relative inefficent leader, Navaria tends to be preyed on by nobles who are looking to elevate their position but due to her marriage with Queen Ilizibera of Sarleon, Princess Sophalia is safe for the time being from any predatory, power-hungry nobles.
Kingdom of Edolas
The empire's city of metal and stone, Edolas is famed for its massive quarries and mining tunnel networks. Sometimes called the "Iron Heart of the Empire", Edolas uses its industrial might to offset its lack of magical capabilities, its lands cursed not to have any touch from the Arcanum. Ruled by Lord Farris Kalishas
Crown of Brynward
The second largest vassal within the Empire, it regarded as the most ominous land within the Empire. Ruled over by the young Count Triel Phantomive who lead with his seemingly otherworldly servant Sabas and has maintained control and thwarted assassination and coups despite his childish age of 14. It would be best not to underestimate either the Count or his faithful servant, even more so if the rumors that he dabbles in Book of Murder and Book of Souls lore.
Principality Maverin
Ruled via a mageocracy, High Grandmaster Ridalin Olspire, Maverin is a small but prestigious land and is host to the Empire's magic research and colleges. This is the only place outside of Imperia where one can possibly have a chance to official look into the Lost Lores but for its a land mostly dedicated to study and academics with the University of Maverin being its crown jewel.
Legionary
Forming the back bone of Imperial Military strength, Legionaries are the disciplined and well trained men recruited from veteran Men-At-Arms. One thing to note about their recruitment is that only native Imperia men are recruited, for men of other blood to be recruited into the fold they must either be made "honorary Imperians" or distinguish themselves in battle. Marching with great big tower shields spears and swords, they are the sworn protectors of the Empire and the Throne.
Archer
Relying on volume of fire over individual skill, Imperial Archers work similar to that of line infantry; the skill of each soldier (or lack thereof) is made up with a massed barrage of arrows. Using strong and deadly longbows, these men can fire extremely quickly to cover swaths of land in arrows and come equipped with a variety of arrows like flaming and heavy tipped armor piercing.
Man-At-Arms
The "entry level" of professional soldiering, these are abled body men who either sigh up or are drafted into service by their lord. By and far they are the most adaptable unit with the Imperial military, using many weapons for whatever they might be need for, but suffer from a lack of discipline and training which other troops have. All other roles within the military demand that one must first be a Man-At-Arms unless they are of noble birth.
Young, dismounted noble squires
Mounted commoner Squire
Squires
Basically beginner knights, most Squires come from noble families and although any noble is allowed to join, its mostly young men who rush to fill these sports in seeking honor and glory and potentially joining a Knighthood Order or even, becoming a Dragon Rider. And while it is possible for a commoner Man-At-Arms to become Squire, its pretty rare.
Dragon Rider
One of the most prestigious if not the most prestigious positions within the entire Empire, Dragon Rider as you would expect, ride dragons into battle and are armed with great long lances. Its long debated on what is deadlier, the rider or the dragon but either way, they are sure to cause some people to shit their pants on sight. However, due to the slow mating and raising of dragons, as well as training and taming, these warriors are uncommon.
The Royal Phalanx Guard
Sometimes cited as the "Old Guard" of the Empire, the Order of the Phalanx was and still is the Emperor's personal bodyguard reunite. Contradictory to their name however, the Order's Phalanx Guard do not fight in tightly packed phalanx formation and are largely independent of one another as the Order places high priority on the abilities of an individual over that of a team.
Knights of Dawnburss
Maybe one of the shinier Orders with its Dawnburss Knights, the Knights of Dawnburss are relatively special in that compared to most cavalry who are unfit for prolong melee engagements, Dawnburss Knights excel precisely at that. Wielding dual longswords and Book of Blazing lore, Dawnburss Knights are definitely people you don't want to cross swords with unless you prefer to die well done and crispy.
Vecavian Valkyrie Knight Vecavian Living Saint
Vecavia Holy Order
The most famous women-only Order of highly devout militant nuns who worship Vecavia, the Goddess of light and all things holy, also known as the "Guardian of Heaven". As such they utilize a great deal of Book of Blessing spells and are cited as one of the best defenses the Empire has against the likes of necromancers and the undead. Their devotion is so great that distinguished Vecavian Valkryie Knights can be blessed by Vecavia herself and become Living Saints who are of the most purest of souls and most deadliest of warriors.
Cainhurst Blackiron Order
Perhaps the most mysterious and morally dubious Order within the Empire, the Cainhurst Blackiron Knights were not born from within the Empire itself but instead in a mysterious city they called "Cainhurst" that they claim to be haven been destroyed during a war, forcing them to migrate the original members of its Order to Imperia. While other Orders have a certain standard which they hold themselves up to, the Cainhurst Order is known to follow a... "looser" definition of it.
Order of the Seraphim Dragons
The largest and most open Order, some view the Order as too open with too many low quality troops in comparison to the other orders while others hold it as how Orders should be. Despite their fierce name, the Order's Seraphim Dragon Knights do much tamer duties and take it upon themselves to guard travelers and merchants on roads as well as general patrols around the city in assistance of the City Guard. Although in one-on-one duels Seraphim Dragon Knights on average will loose to other orders, their Grand Master is without a doubt the strongest in combat out of all the Orders with a mind second only to the general.
Kingdom of Valenyr
The only officially established kingdom of elves as most live in villages or strongholds hidden away or in other lands. Although small, their military strength easily out does any of the human kingdoms purely on a man-to-man basis. The kingdom itself is entirely self sufficient with little contact with the rest of the world. In fact, most people don't even know where exactly their kingdom and their famed Castle Noldar is; all that's known is that they are somewhere west of Sarleon in a hidden grove, shrouded by magic. Their rare encounters with others have been noted to be especially snooty on the Valenyr about, looking down on even their fellow elves who live next to humans as they're dressed in elaborate, fancy armor and outfits.
Gallogoth Commonwealth
The Gallogoth Commonwealth is an elective monarchy whose to the east of the Empire, led by a king whose power is limited by the Sejm (lower house of the parliament) resulting in unique political problems. Furthermore, the Commonwealth is a multi-cultural and multi-religious state. This kind of state is truly unique because it has been created on fundamentals of religious tolerance and personal freedom. However, it suffers from great amounts of internal strife and threatening, autocratic neighbors who are bent on taking down the first nation dedicated to the ideals of acceptance and individuality.
Oqer Horde
An unending tide of doom and death that hails from the across the World End Mountains, heralded by the beat of war drums and screeching horns. Although their attacks are rare, their raids easily wipe entire villages off the map and pose a most intimidating threat to the organized armies of the kingdoms. But, they have gone silent as of recent, no more war drums and no more raids; some welcome the peace along the northern borders but others fear that this is merely the calm before the storm.
Yealerden
A federation of many Drow Elves settlements, Yealerden is the organized face of Drow elves, dedicated to the survival of their species and the studying of ice magic. While some Drow do leave the cold peaks of the World End Mountains of their homes, wether by force or by choice, they are still a rare and mysterious sight to most.
CHARACTER SHEETS
Here's the part where you put yourself into the magical world of This Beautiful World: Beyond the Endless Horizon! This will also double as a small test to see how well you've read the Lore stuff (I know its a lot but don't worry, I won't be asking you the Primarch's favorite color or something). I only ask players use common sense and balance their characters out; I want some very different characters then most RPs. I want characters that are zany and wacky, I want characters that are weak or seemingly insignificant, I want unique characters! Make a main character and perhaps a minor character who will only pop up in certain situations! Just keep in mind that there will be certain parts where I will allow players to do as they wish, but do keep in mind if you want to play as a non-playable race or use a Lost Lore, you will need some damn good writing to convince me. Point out if your character will be a major of minor character in the hider. Minor character can be like people we'll only bump into every so often, GHU diplomats, expendable soldiers, etc; feel free to cut down the CS guides to their bare minimums for minor characters.
[b][u]Race[/u][/b] [indent]What ethnicity are you?[/indent]
[b][u]Homeworld[/u][/b] [indent]Where you from? Ideally we'll have a mix.[/indent]
[b][u]Rank[/u][/b] [indent]What is your rank solider?! Remember that all players will be varying levels of Enlisted Servicemen, only GMs can play as higher ups.[/indent]
[b][u]Role[/u][/b] [indent]What role do they play within the 1st Recon? Remember, there's more than just sniper, MG, etc, there's also support like medics, ammo carrier, radio man, etc and that some homeworlds are train their soldiers for more specific roles.[/indent]
[b][u]Appearance[/u][/b] [indent]How does your character look? How have they altered their armor if at all?[/indent]
[b][u]Equipment[/u][/b] [list][*]What does your character have on them in most cases? Stuff like weapons and gear; reminder that for the start everyone will be using what's typically assigned to their homeworld so no Fistos for a Fusan Add more bullet points if need be. [*] [*] [/list]
[b][u]Personality[/u][/b] [indent]At least two paragraphs. Your character must have flaws, and they must have positive traits as well. No Mary Sues/Gary Stus. Make them interesting and don't try to make the world's biggest brooding, edgy badass![/indent]
[b][u]Traits[/u][/b] [list][*]What traits does you character have? Can be talents both combat and non-combat related, sexual orientation, weird quirks, phobias, etc. Add more bullet points if need be. [*] [*] [/list]
[b][u]History[/u][/b] [indent]Your character's life story up until this point. At least 2 paragraphs, include things like homeworld and previously assigned unit as the 1st Recon isn't a normal standing unit, was summoned up from volunteers and then some.[/indent]
[b][u]Race[/u][/b] [indent]What race are you?[/indent]
[b][u]Kingdom[/u][/b] [indent]Where you from?[/indent]
[b][u]Appearance[/u][/b] [indent]How does your character look? What do they were?[/indent]
[b][u]Equipment[/u][/b] [list][*] [*] [*] [/list]
[b][u]Magic[/u][/b] [indent]What Lore does your character use if any at all? Some races have certain leaning towards certain Lores.[/indent]
[b][u]Personality[/u][/b] [indent]At least two paragraphs. Your character must have flaws, and they must have positive traits as well. No Mary Sues/Gary Stus. Make them interesting and don't try to make the world's biggest brooding, edgy badass![/indent]
[b][u]Traits[/u][/b] [list][*]What traits does you character have? Can be talents both combat and non-combat related, sexual orientation, weird quirks, phobias, etc. Add more bullet points if need be. [*] [*] [/list]
[b][u]History[/u][/b] [indent]Your character's life story up until this point. At least 2 paragraphs, make them feel part of the world. They don't need to have the most amazing or unique lives like having their parents killed at the age of six before being adopted by dragons and Drow elves, they can be relatively normal smuchs.[/indent]
If you look like you know what you're doing, then people will believe you do know what you're doing. -Saiyako
Name
Hwangi Mukuri Saiyako
Nicknames
Saiya (Nickname) Explorer 1 Actual (Callsign)
Age
30
Gender
Male
Homeworld
Fuso
Rank
2nd Lieutenant
Role
Unit Commander
Appearance
Judging solely from appearances, Saiyako looks nothing like what one would expect from an officer, even by Fusan standards. His brownish-redish hair is always in varying amounts of ruffled or crumpled, dark lines hung under his dark golden eyes from his many all nighters no doubt, whatever happens during these long moons is known only by Saiyako himself. With a body type between his natural skinny frame and the body mass built up by military training, the man doesn't look like one you'd immediately expect to be a soldier but more of a bookworm who spent too much time at the gym. His resting, apathetic bitch face is only broken by the occasional cocky smile that arises when he feels the rare need to outdo someone.
In terms of outfits, Saiyako generally finds himself in any number and amount of clothing; like many Fusans he has no qualms about walking around in his underwear or nightwear and has been spot on more than one occasional strolling between the showers and his quarters nude. He also has a bad habit of tramping around in his sleeping clothes until noon when he knows he has no planned assignments or tasking for that day. Surprisingly enough however, his actual officer's dress uniform is perfectly kept in pristine condition, not a speck of dust on it, not a hole anywhere, not a button loose.
Equipment
Fusan Type 108 Automatic Carbine
Fusan Type 0 Warblade
ARMA Unit "Oni"
M3P-4 10mm Pistol
RO-3 Omni Grenade
Officer's Regimental Guide Manual
Personality
Laid back almost to the point of apathy, Saiyako is more extreme case of the famous Fusan calmness and indifference. With and almost superhuman ability of procrastinating and extending deadlines, Saiyako rarely feels urgency with things like paper work of which he sees as his greatest foe. One could say he's a fatalist, believing that his life is already set out by some greater power who isn't the Primarch or the pantheons of Terranism causing friction between him and the Inquisition who keeps tabs on all commissioned officers, his apparent lack of zeal doesn't help.
Of course, now with the arrival of the Gate, that personal philosophy has more or less gone out the window. In its place there's a new sense of excitement which Saiyako hasn't felt in a long time as before him is a beautiful world straight from a fantasy game. He works with greater speed and efficiency now although relative to others he still works dreadfully slow. Any official papers like reports while likely be handed in a week late with crumpled corners, an improvement from when papers would go missing for months in Saiyako's hands and come out like they were in their own war in the bowls of his desk. The only type of papers which he hasn't failed to submit on time are papers relating to the well being of his unit; things such as payrolls and requisition forms have rarely failed to be handed on time and are the only things which he will rarely submit early. Perhaps this is rooted from an amicable nature that's hidden under layers of apparent boredom and snark.
In battle, his apathetic nature is incredibly apparent, Saiyako appearing to give absolutely zero shits about being shot at or yells about him getting down. Of course this doesn't mean he's slow or combat stupid, his indifference to danger and gore is one of the primary reason behind his promotions. The battlefield is also the only place where his normal expression breaks and is replaced by a slightly cocky grin and an air of confidence. Its not uncommon for him to challenge someone to see how fast they can dash into cover while under fire as although he doesn't care much for the insults people call him, he does enjoy showing people up sometimes even if he doesn't always win them.
Traits
Seemingly apathetic to danger, blood, and insults
Wonderful chief
Deadlines are relative
Something of best friends with his ARMA unit
Fusan army training which comes with better melee skills
Master of procrastinating
Reliable regarding matters of his unit's well being
Fan animated shows and has a small collection of figurines and collectables in his quarters
Atheistic
History
Saiyako was born to a medical researcher and an animator on a space station in orbit around the Fuso. His life was normal for the most part, no sudden parental deaths or secret family wealth to be inherited; Saiyako was just a normal boy who lived life between the station and planet side. While definitely not the upper crust of society, his family was more than able to pay for their lifestyle and some of the gifts the child would want; perhaps one reason why Saiyako was even more laid back than most Fusans. The biggest change in his life up to that point would be the birth of his little sister when he was six. Things changed for Saiyako when Hwangi Tantan Mutoi came into his life but not too dramatically. Like his parents, Saiyako did his best to shower Mutoi with love and affection.
Maintain respectable grades throughout his teenaged years, the turning point of his life hit both him and his family hard, quite literally. During a family trip which Saiyako had offered to drive, his father next to him and his mother in the back with his sister, a mechanical failure cause the car to veer into oncoming traffic where a cargo transport plow right into them. Despite Saiyako, his mother and his sister all recovering, his father never did for some reason. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months but his father wasn't recovering for some reason, doctors attributed it to some genetic issue that was preventing his body from healing as it should and instead was actually decaying.
Life suddenly went downhill as Saiyako started failing his classes and locked himself in his room for hours at a time, feeling as if he was the one who cause his father's pain, eventually refusing to go visit him out of shame and guilt. The last time Saiyako would see his father would be on his father's death bed who told him:
"Son, there is no hidden treasure of our family for which I can pass on to you. There is no secret wealth which I can let you inherit. No portal to a magical world that I have been hiding. No secret society that I've been a part of. You are completely normal, you are no fairy tale hero like the one in the shows you once watched and the books me and your mother once read you; there is nothing special about you. You are just you.
But you are unbound, free of any strings of destiny. Your fate is no one but your own. There is nothing to hold you back from your greatness..."
Of course, Saiyako didn't understand what his father meant at that point, but it broke something inside of him and turned him apathetic, not even flinching as he watched his father's coffin be lowered into the earth and buried. It was as if he stopped caring about everything and it showed; he later failed out of school before he could even get into a college and barricaded himself in his room, nothing his sister or his mother did could get him out.
Faced with a dead husband and a depressed, apathetic son, Saiyako's mother died of a heart attack little over a year later and Saiyako was again silent as his mother was buried next to her lover. Realizing that there was no way that both he and his little sister could survive on government subsidies, Saiyako got a job in the only place that would accept him: the army.
After months of training, he was deployed to various rebel stations and worlds as part of the 6th Fusan Regiment, 21st Assault Division nicknamed the "Golden Foxes". Through many a battles and a fair bit of luck, Saiyako had been promoted to the rank of 2nd LT after the previous one had died in battle, his apathetic nature leading him the ability to remain remarkable nonchalant even by Fusan standards. After doing his 3rd tour, he heard wind of a portal that had opened up on the backwater desert planet of Ennedi to what the first scouts said was a "fantasy" world. Upon hearing that, something made him smile and started up his excitement, an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time. Signing up without haste, Saiyako felt like he finally understood what his father's words from all those years ago meant; he had the chance not to fulfill his destiny, but a chance to make his own.
I've seen you somewhere, I've heard your name from someone, I've remembered your appearance from something. -Eko
Male Ver.
Change isn't good or bad by nature; it just happens. -Eko
Name
Eko Donpare, Incarnate of Tenzayn
Nicknames
Ekochi (female only) Ekal (male only)
Age
807 (Actual age appearance varies)
Gender
Gender fluid, literally
Race
Human Incarnate
Kingdom
Crown of Sarleon, Vassal of the Empire
Appearance
While minor details may change, Eko's appearance can be divided between her male appearance and his male appearance. In his male form, Eko is a tall if not slightly lanky individual with sharp features with red hair and a nobly ruffled white hair. In her female form, Eko keeps the white hair (although it now reaches somewhere near her lower back). Notably shorter, female Eko stands about a foot shorter than his male version with amethyst eyes; her features however are still graceful and wispy in a way.
In terms of clothing, again Eko can change at will but for the most part he's found in some getup that looks quite a lot like something you'd see from the 1700s or the 1800s on High Terra. A tattered, fancy navy blue military's officer overcoat with golden lining and tassels with some red details and golden buttons. A powder white scarf is attached to his neck and held in place with a delicate golden jewel; a large hat with a flume of white feathers and a rose stuck in its side can also sometimes be seen, more often on her female version.
Equipment
Coat of Donpare - The famous coat of the Incarnate of Tenzayn, it looks like something Napoleon would wear. Despite its appearance, its actually Eko's armor, each thread turned from silk and fabric into thread with the strength of steel by Tenzayn themselves. It also has the effect of making the wearer consistently clear of mind and fearless, changing said fear into euphoria strangely enough although this barely effects Eko when she puts it on.
Regalis Concerto - Eko's primary weapon, it is a very fancy and royal looking glaive. Besides being able to cut through armor and flesh with ease, it also acts as a sort of condute for Eko's magic, basically a giant magic wand that Eko can actually use in one hand in a similar fashion to that of a conductor's baton. The weapon itself was created for Eko by Tenzayn after his asscention into Incarnatehood.
Magic
Eko uses Book of Evolution at a master-level due to his Incarnate status
Personality
Like most things about him, Eko's personally can quickly change. While not as fast or extreme as someone tainted by the Book of Circus, there are definitely warning signs that need to can be seen as a sign of warning and caution. Her two most common moods is a cocky, headstrong personality and a rather sentimental personality. His first one can usually be defined as "somewhere between 'fuck you' in a mocking manner and 'I'd fuck you" while with the second he acts as if she was drunk and has deep thoughts (or tries to be with varying levels of success).
An interesting point of note is that Eko is far less surprised by the Union's technology than other people and takes quite a bit of interest in them.
Traits
Master of Book of Evolution, granting him a limited number of spells from other Lores
Immortality and invulnerability due to Incarnate status as well as super human abilities
Fearless, most of his fear has been removed due to his natural hubris and the Coat of Donpare.
Has a direct line to Tenzayn, God of Change; Tenzayn doesn't always pick up or answer correctly, occasionally forcing his Incarnate to answer to a squirrel or something.
History
Despite living for many hundreds of years, Eko talks remarkably little about his past, especially the time before he became an Incarnate. While this is common amongst many Incarnates (as many Gods will wipe the memories of their chosen), Eko admits that Tenzayn has never tampered with her memory. And even though there might be some who claim to know Eko's history, all of them are completely different stories.
The only history Eko will ever say is that his ancestor once lived on an island far, far away and that since he became an Incarnate he's split his time between wandering the land and attending to the Great Shrine of Tenzayn.
A business NRP where you control a space faring merchant company just getting started. Under a new galactic charter, you are now part of a special section of duty-free merchants otherwise known as "Free Merchants", traders who need not worry about the complexities of planetary taxes and looser regulations than normal merchants so long you pay your Trade Tithe.
Goods - As one would expect, you need stuff to trade in a business RP. Listed below are trade goods, their weight and price. Of course, prices will fluctuate depending on the system and planet with some goods being banned outright on certain planets. Green Goods are things that are typically safe in all systems while Red Goods are contraband, something that's almost universally banned and will get you in trouble, if you're caught. License goods are something in between which you require special licenses to trade in and will you will be punished for trading without license though not as severely as with contraband.
Trade Goods
Metals
Alloys
Construction Materials
Foodstuffs
Electronics
Rare Earth Elements
License Goods
Plasteel
Pharmaceuticals
Luxury Metals
Luxury Foodstuffs
Chemicals
Fuel
Small Arms
Animals
Contraband Goods
Narcotics
Slaves
Heavy Weaponry
Worlds - There are many different types of worlds, each unique and not the same as another. It should be noted that worlds does not mean planet nor vice versa, you can have a moon count as a world or a astroid.
- Primal Worlds - Untouched worlds - Colony Worlds - Recently colonized planets who've yet to create their own identity and are in their infancy - Feral Worlds - Worlds that have gone medieval or have an otherwise low technological ability, formerly worlds that have been colonized but have degraded and regressed - Industrial Worlds -
Special Deals – Special Deals are unique events which have avery specific task that have a limited amount of time before they go away. They vary in risk and reward, sometimes just involving delivering unique goods and providing temporary shuttle assistance to black market smuggling and rescuing powerful people.
Events - Random events which can work for or against you. Things such as market booms or crashes that will increase or decrease the price of certain goods, wars which will make trading more dangerous but less security and more demand for weapons, disasters which will increase demands for construction materials and medicine.
Crew - Each of your merchants will have a ship to their own which they will be able to pilot to the various destination to earn you money. There are also crew members which will buff your ability to deal with a certain issue or improve something. they include:
- Guards - Trained in the use of weapon, they will help man guns and defend from boarding actions as well as protect the ship while its planet side. They can also be used to guard merchants themselves who may be targeted for whatever reason.
- Navigator Pilots - People with great knowledge of galactic navigation, they will speed up the ship they are on and negate environmental penalties from things such as astroid belts and rough atmosphere
- Smuggler - Those with a... special set of skills with questionable morality, they will increase your chances of getting past things such as security and cargo checks. They will also increase profits gained from contraband goods but if you are caught with them on board, the punishments will increase, even more so if they are high leveled. (Dice system)
- Engineer Technician - Skilled in the ways of machines and electronics, they will reduce damage taken by the ship and can also reduce the cost of repairing the ship they are assigned to.
- Consultants - Adding additional brain power, they will reduce the upkeep and wages of the ship and its people while also increasing the profits from normal trade goods a little.
A Bell of Awakening, the echo of revelation that once called Hallows from all over the world to chase after a faint ringing bell in the hopes of either curing their curse or discovering the truth behind the Hallows. An accursed land of undead, a land beyond a wall of mist, a nation lost to the Thousand Year Fog, a Forgotten Kingdom which beckons forth desperate Hallows with the ringing of a bell that only they can hear.
Ot at least, that how it was.
Now, the Kingdom of Myrstrost awakes from its thousand year slumber but like a fleeting dream, remember nought of what had happening in its sleep after forced into the waking world a decade ago. A land lost to time, Myrstrost, the Forgotten Kingdom, harness the power of the Fog which had once isolated them from the world. No one remembers anything or how drastically their land has changed since the time before the Fog or even how the Fog came to be or ended.
With its legions of Hallowed warriors, Myrstrosts sets its sight on not the conquest of the world, but the rediscovery of their own homeland as well as reconnecting with a world which had forsaken them after so many years of being shackled to the Fog.
Location/Geography
A view of the Frostfallen Peaks from an edge of the Arlimir Forest
Myrstrost is built on the island of Slivyst, far north of the main continent, separated by the Csarik Strait or the "Strait of Monsters" as great sea-born beasts of unnatural origins that prowl under the waves, killing any who dare cross. The island itself has many rolling hills and expansive Arlimir Forest. Towards the north-east, the woods begin to thin out and reveal a chain of mountains called Frostfallen Peaks where tribes of giants can be found. The two smaller islands to the north-ish are Krosc (smaller) and Himlar (larger). Across all of Myrstrost can be found ruins of villages, towns, and temples, all seemingly lost during the Thousand Year Fog, however much of the population lives in cities and settlements that have not been lost as all those places lost have now taken up new, more sinister residents.
Climate wise, the island is fairly chilly but there are times where it warms just enough for crops to grow but famine still plagued the land at one point until the genius inventor Pharros had come up with a network of magical fires called Ember Cradles which had warmed the earth up enough to allow for more stable farming. More recently now that the Thousand Year Fog has ended, the Starlit Strait will occasionally freeze over, allowing easy access to the island from the mainland and trapping the beasts under the ice, but some still find a way above.
History
Myrestrost can trace its roots back to the old Empire Of Aciret which had spread its wings the northern edge of Matria hundreds of years ago, encompassing many races under its banner. However, the Empire was fractured from its start with local rulers having too much power compared to its central leaders and under the weight of unruly vassals and the Orc hordes that were making routine incursions into the weakened Aciret lands, the Empire fell apart.
Those who were lucky enough to run faster than the mounts of the Orcs could go hopped on to boats and made way for what was then known as Silvyst Island. The Orcs had tried to follow but the valiant warriors who were left protected the beaches with great vigor day and night to ensure that their new home would be well protected. As the raids became less and less frequent, the island slowly became its own kingdom under Queen Gywendelin Myrstrost the Stoneweaver. A talented mage in the Earthen Arts, Queen Gywendelin personally oversaw much of the creation of the new Myrstrost Kingdom, explaining its fantastical style.
Things went smoothly for a few generations where the Kingdom became an important stop along many northern trade routes and sea lanes. The ports were busy, people filled the streets, things where made and researched, but then, silence. The villages were silent as no ships came in and an erie, thick, hazy fog set in.
No one could get in or out it seemed, any ships that tried to enter or leave the fog found themselves turned right back around by some force of magic. Strangely enough though, Hallows were able to pass through the mist and reach the Kingdom but never come out.
For centuries the silver mist isolated Myrstrost with no one able to get in or out. As such, the land had faded away into legend, an eternal abandoned land beyond the smoky mist with only the words of a kingdom so grand and epic that the gods themselves were jealous of the Queen's abilities. And thus, curse her entire kingdom into fog to be forgotten.
But then, almost 10 years ago, the fog dissipated and the ancient kingdom rose from that of legends into that of reality. However, now there are new monsters and beasts that roam the old, once forgotten cities and the island of Silvyst has been tainted and marred with countless new ruins. But no one remembers how all of this came to be, nor the events that lead up to the Thousand Year Fog or what exactly transpired in it. Now as Myrstrost, the Forgotten Kingdom, tries to find its spot in the world that it had been so long forgetful of while also trying to discover what happened within it.
Government & Capital
Castle Myrstrost, the massive home of the Royal Family and capital building of the Kingdom
The rule of Myrstrost is a simple monarchy with heirs chosen from the oldest of the Royal Blood, assisted by a Royal Court. The first known ruler of Myrstrost is its namesake founder, Queen Gwyndelin Myrstrost the Stoneweaver, although legends speak of someone even older and stronger the the fair Queen. As of now, the current ruler is King Dromovalt of the same line as the old Queen Gwyndelin.
The rulers of the Forgotten Kingdom reside in the epic Castle Myrstrost that had been made by Gwyndelin herself. Some describe it as mountain of a cathedral-castle, others an extraordinary city-of a castle, all can be said as true. Perhaps a monument to Gwyndelin's power, its built atop a massive outcrop of stone making it as defendable as it is beautiful.
The iconic symbol of the Myrstrost monarchy is the Frozen Crown, a masterpiece crown made of exquisite, delicate work made of silver, inlaid with prized sapphires and diamonds and imbued with with pure Salus as to clear the mind and improve the health of its wearer, the king or queen.
A view of Tyrbure, the major and only city within Myrstrost
The city which surrounds Castle Myrstrost is called Tyrbure (try-burn), and its seen as a massive, sprawling city and the only city in Myrstrost as all other have been lost to the beasts and darker forces. As such, Tyrbure is divided up into different sections or "wards", each focusing or being known for something but not necessarily only doing that. Several layers of walls have also been built, signifying the willingness of the kingdom and city to move further into the wilderness during the Thousand Year Fog with each wall inward becoming taller, more complex and just more epic. The wards of Tyrbure are:
Castle Ward - Consists of Castle Myrstrost and its immediate surroundings.
Factory Ward - The manufacturing heart of the city, it feeds the people with goods and warriors with weapons and armor.
Caravan Ward - A small-ish merchant district that hosts the largest marketplace and festival grounds.
Cathedral Ward - Not just the religious center of Myrstrost with the epic Nostradamos Cathedral, its also the cultural center of the kingdom with many museums displaying art and old artifacts from expeditions into the ruins as well as several opera houses and entertainment venues. It is said that it is actually the ringing of the Bell of Awakening atop the Nostradamos Cathedral which beckons Hallows to Myrstrost.
Academy Ward - With knowledge at its head and magic in its heart, the Academy Ward is the center of all things relating to knowledge, education and the arcane. The prestigious College of Atakin is located in this ward and this is where everything relating to Mythst takes place.
Noble Ward - As one might expect, this is basically a nice, secluded place for THE ARISTOCRATS to do whatever THE ARISTOCRATS do and has many a manors and estates.
Farmer Ward - The large, open space between the very first perimeter barrier and the first proper wall, this is where the farming takes place mostly in close proximity to Tyrbure and thus is almost a village in its own right given the number of people living and working here.
Races
A group of mad Feral Hallow Cultists guarding one their heretical shrines, one of many in the ruins of old Myrstrost.
Hallows are the most common folk of the Forgotten Kingdom making up about 2/3 of the total population, the rest being human with a tiny sliver of other races from other lands who've found their way to Myrstrost without dying and without being Hallows.. Technically there's only two races in Myrstrost: Hallows and Humans. But given that Hallows are simply undead of any race that retain their intelligence, Myrstrost can be seen as quite diverse.
About the same as any other humans within the lands; Myrstrost's are known for much heartier constitutions given how far north the are, acute eyesight due to the Great Mist that once surrounded their home and the greater resistance to fear especially of the undead given how often and close they are with Hallows. Interesting enough, Myrstrost humans do not bleed red, but instead a silvery white.
Hallows are a special off shot of the undead which can afflict any mortal species with cases of super beings such as Dragons hallowing considered little more than extreme lies; but all lies must have started with some truth at one point. They are those who have had their intact souls returned to their bodies in such a way that they do not become mindless, obedient slaves and behave the same way which they did whence they where still truly alive.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no "Undeath Plague" that one can just catch and become a Hallow. In order to become one, one must dies in such a way which leave the body intact (so no burning or cutting up). Those who become Hallowed are often those too attached to a will to live to simply just die, and of those, the ones with the greatest will and character can prevent themselves from falling to Feral.
But no matter how alive they act, they are not considered anything more than glorified undead in most places and do not look quite like normal beings. Their bodies riddled with scars and marks, their eyes that glow like embers in the darkest shadows and the pale blood which ominously gleams.
Such beings are immortal and very difficult to kill, usually only through complete destruction of the body. However, immortality is no blessing, but a curse as all Hollows know; death is replaced by insanity as anything which would normally kill a man will cause them to be resurrected once more, each time the subject loosing their will to be living and eventually descending into madness and turning feral.
Hallows feel no pain nor pleasure, they are not alive nor undead, but yet they walk the earth as if they do. It is only through the constant pursuit of a purpose which they may retain their sanity. Sad, pitiful beings indeed. The reason why they are beckoned to Myrstrost however is unknown; some say was the Fog but more modern theory suggest that there's something else entirely on the island that calls for the souls of the undead to its shores.
What could be seen as the towering natives of the Slivyst Island that stand at least a dozen feet tall, Myrstrost is built upon their lands and their bodies, these giants were once considered hostiles of the highest danger. But through the use of magic and guile, some have learned how to control these towering men to serve as labor and even soldiers. Its said that the reason why Myrstrost's architecture is so grand is because it was also built to accommodate for Giants.
Alas, those days are long gone and one will never see a friendly giant anymore. Now, many of them guard old ruins and castles dutifully and attack all who dare enter. Some have managed to form their own tribes in the high mountains, but they are just as hostile as their "tamed" brethren.
People of Importance
First wife of the High King hailing from House Valhen, she is known for a very gentle, almost sideline hand in the public affairs of the kingdom. Many might mistake for as just a pretty face for the King who warms his bedchamber at night, but Queen Nunally has more than meets the eye. Also serving as Spymaster, she helps rule the kingdom from the shadows, maintaining a network of agents and informants in the kingdom, catching would be assassins and uncovering plots through control of internal security like town guards.
An old friend of High King Dromovult
Supreme commander of the Myrstrost military, second only to the King himself. A former Soulguard Knight, he stand at an impressive hight, towering literally everyone one else in the Court. Renouned for his strength of will, he has been called "Talvnar the Immortal" and "Talvnar Iron-Willed" as he's been killed enough times to turn any normal Hallow Feral multiple times over.
Religion
A distant view of the top of the giant Nostradamus Cathredral
Long ago, when the kingdom was first founded, men worshipped the Giants as they stood taller than life above all else. Back then the Giants were much more intelligent and knowledgable so it was their assistance which allowed the tiny humans to survive. Such was known as the Age of Giants where Myrstrost practiced the beliefs of "Way of Giants" with rituals and prayers and festival.
But then, it would all change when Karginoth of Mezenia, a small village on the edge of the mountains, launched an attack on the Giant's stronghold with 10,000 men. Overcoming the great ones with agility and speed, he overthrew the Way of Giant and in its place had created the Bodhi Church in its place, ordering extensive magic to be used on the Giant to the point they would loose their intelligence as Karginoth believed man had learned all they needed from the beasts.
The actual ideals and beliefs of the the Church of Awakening are unknown as they seemed to have faded with the Fog once it had left. Its widely assumed that Karginoth had used the fog some how and the Bodhi Church exerted great power in the kingdom as seen by its numerous churches and buildings. Its said that the Cathedral Ward of Tyrbure was entirely built and financed by the Church of Awakening alone, quite a show of power.
Now a days, Myrstrost is lost religiously, the Way of Giants long gone and the teachings of the Church forgotten, while some scrap to old beliefs or even cults, the Church of Awakening's beliefs is returning and seeping in once more into the once forgotten Cathedral Ward with prayer and hymn filling the streets once more. However, in conjunction with the reformed Church of Awakening is the Brescian religion of the "Sect of Insight", otherwise more commonly known as the "Church of Awakening". While it would be lying to say that both ideologies go smoothly with each other, the two do enjoy cultural similarities and a number of shared worshippers; the Church of Awakening even has its own floor on the epic Nostradamos Cathedral in Cathedral Ward, a sign of great prestige in Myrstrost
Originally established by Karginoth after his crusade on the Giants, the Church of Awakening is more commonly referred to as "the Church". It seeks enlightenment by way of "attuning and awakening the soul" through means no longer well known but certainly dubious given the shadowy nature of Myrstrost in general and a strange connection to the College of Atakin. Even in the past, it held great power and many buildings devoted to worship and research.
In terms of beliefs, they have a strange fixation on souls and dreams, calling them the "bells of awakening", funny as the great bell atop their prized Nostradamus Cathedral is referred to as the Bell of Awakening and is said to once attract Hallows with a sound only they can hear. But such ringing no longer occurs, no one can hear its faintly ominous echoes, not even Hallows.
Brought over from the lands of the City-States of Brescia, it enjoys high acceptance given its ideology and how well to parallels to the culture and ideals of many Myrstrostians.
Social Culture
To outsiders, what Myrstrostians appear to be can vary from telling to telling. Some talk of a land of undead Hallows who do nothing but moop about, others speak of a land of endless adventure with brave men exploring the great ruins of a land forgotten; some say of a frozen hellhole in the north where everything tries to kill you and its people nonchantly brush off dangers which could easily kill them, others report that its a land with limitless magical potential and can possibly hold the key to evolving magic to the next stage with its Mythst.
All of those are true to an extend in some capacity. Myrstrostians are known for being incapable of feeling fear in the face of danger while also being xenophile to an extend, their curiosity about the world only natural given their isolation. If compared to a child, Myrstrost is like a curious kid whose wants to be friendly with everyone to learn more about the world while sharing what it as.
They're quite a strange but yet quaint people with an eternal chasing of adventure.
Besides the law, the two aspects which dominates common life is the Church of Awakening and the Odyssey Guild. The Church already wields influence in the way which you would expect, but the Guild is in charge of all explorations and endeavors into the ruins as well as trade. Their focus on trade means their exploration laws are actually quite lax, but employment into the Guild in an administrative role is a every coveted role indeed.
Magic
The Grand Archive, dubbed the home of knowledge of Myrstrost, it is host to massive amount of books, tomes, grimoires, texts, essays, diagrams, designs and drawings although much of it has been sealed away.
Magic has been intertwined with Myrstrost's fate since the beginning when the first Queen Gwyndelin had raised the cities from the earth. As such, the tradition has persisted to this day with magic heavily imbued into people's lives and are the focal point of study and progress of advancement with the College of Atakin being the foremost place to study such arts. The College actually has untold ties to the Church of Awakening, likely due to the fact that the College actually originates from the Church of Awakening before separating into its own entity.
Studied at the College of Atakin, the major magics are:
School of Hazeal - Perhaps the most powerful and well known School, the School of Hazeal focuses its efforts on studying Mythst and the lingering traces left of the Thousand Year Fog. They are behind the creation of Mythst and its current and guard its secrets to death and beyond. While nothing is said between the two, its almost common knowledge that the School of Hazeal works very closely with the Church of Awakening on projects of the more secretive and questionable nature.
School of Gaia - Founded by Queen Gwyndelin herself, the School of Gaia focuses on a very specific art within what some call "druid magics" or "nature control": Stoneweaving. The art of Stoneweaving is the way of magic concered with altering stone and is the reason behind the amazing building style of Myrstrost. However, this is still work for construction workers, masons builders as Stoneweaving does not create intricate carvings and details.
School of Kryrus - Once the most dedicated followers of the Way of Giants, the School of Kryrus can trace its origins to those who the Giant taught their cold magics too. They were nearly all killed after Karginoth had eradicated their mentors. To this day, the School of Kryrus give a cold shoulder to the Church, their wounds still not healed.
This is not to say that the College of Atakin doesn't offer other fields of study; its just that these are the most common and popular areas as those from these schools often find the most work for the Church or the Guild. The most common of the "Minor Schools" is the School of Esporat which focuses on "adventuring and exploration magic" such as finding one's way and being able to appraise and magically inspect artifacts and treasure.
In terms of "storing" said knowledge, magical or otherwise, much of it is located in the Grand Archive, built by Pharros before he became mad. Its an epic construction in its own right, although not surprising as Pharros was a prodigal student in the School of Gaia. Much of it is actually under grown like roots with only a little bit of it open to the surface, hence the nickname given to it of "Library Roots".
However, much of the underground portion where the most advanced magical tomes, scrolls, grimoires, books and text are stored and complex mechanical drawings, diagrams and solutions have been sealed off from the rest of the Archive and remain unaccessible. Rumor has it that it was actually the Church of Awakening had sealed it off after Pharros had gone Feral. Some say you can still sometimes hear the mad howls of the Mad Inventor who still makes copious notes and papers as if he was still granted audience at Castle Myrstrost.
In some ways, one can say that Myrstrost is a pro-magic nation compared to a pro-tech one. This is only half true as outside of what the Mad Inventor Pharros created, Myrstrost's technology level is simply not nearly as effective as its magical capabilities and what the Mythst can provide.
Economy & Industry
The sprawling Factory Ward of Tyrbure, home to the forges of machines built by the Mad Inventor Pharros.
The Kingdom of Myrstrost is modestly gifted with resources. Miners toil to dig up iron and silver to be made into steel and jewelry, woodcutters fell great forests of Northern Yew and Frostbitten Ironwood trees as farmers push out a meager harvest each year thanks to the Ember Cradles network which the Mad Inventor Pharros created to prevent permafrost from starving the land. However, Myrstrost finds itself in need of food given how poor the soil is naturally is; how the land got by during the Thousand Year Fog is unknown.
That does not mean that their is no speciality food however as Myrstrost has its own unique Mist Toast, bread made from wheat that is grown in soil laced with Mythst and whose texture and taste is soft and fluffy when unheated and a sweet toasty flavor when heated. Some say it also has magic abilities of its own like regenerative properties to promote youth and energy.
While by no means backwards, much of Myrstrost is less reliant on cutting edge technology as they are on arcane magics as they have found their natural landscape does not permit a good deal of technology to work well if at all. The people of the Forgotten Kingdom have also long since mastered the ways of magic in ways to make creations almost impossible to do with technology. Such as that in their magnificent buildings that defy physics almost and the magical Alephs of old, of which the art to create and control them has been lost.
That said, the Mad Inventor Pharros had managed to conjure up quite the amount of machinery in the Factory Ward of Tyrbure. A now near-constant beat of pistons and ticking of gears fills the steamy and smoky air of the Factory Ward as everything needed to rebuild a kingdom is made.
Mystrost's main exports are that of a magical nature, of note is Mythst. Mythst is a strange, mysterious element, only appearing in the Forgotten Kingdom as a result of the Thousand Year Mist which it had isolated the nation. It takes on a state between liquid and gas in an almost plasma-like nature although it can be hardened into a solid form. Colored like a moonlit silver, Mythst's magical properties are great, able to enhance the effects of any other type of magic as well as reinforce physical materials. When "retuned", Mythst's properties change so slightly to create Salus, a pale blue liquid not unlike the blood which flows through the veins of Hallows.
Such finds common use in the military of Myrstrost where even the simple iron or steel armor's durability and protection jumps dramatically and blades are stronger and more damage resistance. Some smiths have taken dried Mythst powder to forge items with the properties of the substance imbued in naturally.
Salus is a form of healing and the Art of Retuning which refines Salus from Mythst is considered the highest form of Alchemy normally used to create healing solves and such. However, the process making pure Salus is long and difficult, leading people to create slightly cheaper Salus Flasks; flasks with some bit of Salus mixed into the glass of the flask which provides a diluted healing effect of that of Salus. These flasks themselves are incredibly durable as the Salus which they are bolstered by still retains the reinforcing properties of Mythst. Such Salus Flasks are common amongst adventures and explorers to venture deep into Myrstrost's unknown past.
Trade Goods
The Merchant Tower, the head of the Odysseys Guild's trading operations and administration.
Foodstuffs - While Myrstrost doesn't starve on a yearly basis anymore, it never hurts to have a small surplus when you tend to break even most times.
Spices - While Myrstrost has a small salt industry, the demand far outstrips what they can produce naturally.
Gunpowder - Something the military absolutely adorns in the form of bombs, finds wide use in exploration.
Fine Art - Bought most often by independent orders by nobles, the most often of the art is in the form of paintings on canvas, something of a rarity all the way up north.
Gold and Gems - Again, something only really bought by the wealthy nobles as they don't have much if at all domestically; most common gemstones are often fire rubies, forest emeralds and royal amethyst.
Adventurers - While not imported as much as hired or just attracted to the land, these outsiders often come to Myrstrost to test their mettle in the endless ruins of the Forgotten Kingdom.
Mythst/Salus - Listed above
Metal - The forges of the Factory Ward produce a great number of metal and alloy ingots of a wide variety, assuming you don't want something crazy of course
Armor - While Myrstrost is not too estatic about trading in military equipment, their Mythst-imbluded armors and sheilds are without a doubt some of the toughest in the world.
Silver - The most popular of Myrstrost's luxury resources, silver is in relative abundance in Myrstrost and used in coins and decorations
Jewelry & Decoration - Fine crafted decorations of carved wood, chiseled stone and fine silvers, often inlaid with sapphire.
Sapphire - The only gemstone that is common, also known as "Ice Gems", they posses tinges of ice-based magic and are always cold to the touch.
Frozen Ironwood - A strong, sturdy hardwood whose exceptional toughness makes it a fine choice for shields and ships; Myrstrost uses a special Mythst-covered Frozen Iron wood for its shields and ships, granting them some insanely tough protection, has a natural defense against cold and ice-based magic.
Northern Yew - A soft but supple wood, ideal for creating bows and craving intricate designs in.
Stone - Things such as granite and andesite to be used in walls or buildings.
Mist Toast - Listed above
Animal Pelts - The pelts of winter animals such as wolves, foxes, and even bears, all of which boasts natural cold and ice resistance.
Seafood - Fished up from the cold icy waters around Myrstrost, these range from things as simple as carp or salmon to bits of the great monsters which lurk under the waves in the Straits.
Explorers - Basically mercenaries who offer their services in the realm of exploration and adventuring in dangerous areas, hardened by Myrstrost's native ruins.
Army Overview
Myrstrost's military is heavily focused on the idea that they will be more often used in exploring ruins and such within the island itself rather than being used as an offensive or defensive force. As such, they have some unorthodox techniques and mannerisms. Many soldiers are Hallows, most of whom dedicate their immortal lives to the art of military and diving into ruins in hope of being able to cure their eternal curse. Such "expeditions" are a common sight within the kingdom as otherwise the army has little to do. Bringing home valuables and past knowledge is also always appreciated.
The most famous of such is the high mobile fighting style used by all ranks of the Mystrost army. Such methods of quick-stepping and rolling are considered essential parts of training and are part of the "Karginoth Movement Arts", named after the leader of the warriors who defend the island from the Orc onslaught many centuries ago. Each soldier is not trained as a soldier who finds strength in numbers, instead they train like warriors, drawing upon their individual strength.
Another point of interest is the adoption of gunpowder, not in the form of firearms, but mostly that of bombs urns, at least one per person. In things such as field battles, warriors are expected to light the fuse and throw them right before they charge or the enemy does. This strategy has proven remarkably well at disrupting defensive formations, making for easy prey for the charging infantry while also capable of slowing the momentum if not outright breaking a charge. The odd firearm does exist however, mostly in the form of defensive units stationed at cities and ports or handguns carried by wealthy officers as more of a sign of wealth, prestige and rank due to their more ornate nature.
Sketch of the common Myrstrost soldier; their armor heavily borrows from the Aciret Empire's Legions
Infantry is without a doubt the star of the show for the Myrstrostic Army, their Hallowed soldiers spending years training the arts of war and then using them in the seemingly endless dungeons and ruins of the island. Death is nothing to be afraid of for a Hallow as they know that their curse will bring them back to life, even if they turn feral and die with the last shreds of their humanities lost. Heavily armored warriors that move swifter than light infantry in battle, each on their own can easily outclass any soldier from any other nation and can give elite units a run for their money in groups.
\ Common armor of a Myrstrost noble knight; modified for greater mobility and execution of Karginoth Movement Arts
The downfalls of the Myrstrost army is a lack of a solid ranged support unit as most ruins do not offer optimal shooting conditions thus archery is left to volunteer hunters who keep at their craft in the army. Cavalry is also something of an issue as the harsh climate does not provide great conditions for horses. To circumvent that, knights ride the native Iceborn Dire Wolves and their role changes from that of a traditional fast shock cavalry unit into that of a slower brawler cavalry unit as the large beasts are by nature tougher than horses and are ferocious enough to fight on their own even without an already formidable knight riding them.
Artist rendition of one of the legendary Soulguard Knights with one of their signature massive great swords
The elite unit of the Myrstrost is the "Hallowed Soulguard Knights", the chosen warriors who undergo the "Chalice Rituals" and go from mere Hallows into legends. They stand taller than any other soldier in the Myrstrost army (about 7-9 feet depending on the person in question) and have incredible strength and swiftness, often wielding massive weapons that no one else would dare to try and pick up. Such strength and combat ability makes the Soulguard Knights literal monsters on the battle feild, legends speak of ones with such strength that they could wipe away entire armies but alas, those heroes have long since met their fates, feral or not.
Naval Overview
Given their long isolation and the fog, one can assume that Myrstrost never got its sea-legs, never building anything larger than canoes, rafts and barges for internal use and transport. One legend speaks of a long, slender black canoe driven by the Veuls who brought foreign Hallows to Myrstrost to begin their often ill-fated quests.
The iconic ship of Myrstrost braving rough waters.
Due to once again being able to see the world once more, there had been a small push to make more sea worthy vessels. The Cascade is the result of such efforts and has proven to be a great sucess for Myrstrost. Swift enough to dodge the monsters even in the Strait while sturdy enough to take on whatever the seas can throw at it, its Mythst-coated Frozen Ironwood construction is the likely source because of this. Although these ships are very lightly armed, their durability and agility can easily annoy many sea captains as their decks are harassed by arrows, bombs and marines.
Across the Memoria Fleet, there are roughly 56.2 million known inhabitants spread across roughly 3 thousand ships of varying shapes and sizes. Of course there's always stowaways or lost people who aren't counted aboard some of the massive ships due to the sheer size or the tiny vessel which shadow the fleet, but its a good consensus estimate.
Humanoid, cat-like beings, the Fyrite have humanoid skeletal structures as well as some other similarities such as five fingers on a hand and red blood, however they had evolved from more feline ancestors. The most obvious difference is their tails and ears, which are both very cat like in nature; the ears of a Fyrite is highly sensitive to sound and very receptive (it should also be noted that they have no "human-like" ears on the side of their heads, their cat ears are their real ears). The skin color is typically that which resemble's humans and tans, albeit slower. However, it is rare to see a tanned Fyrite as they are actually quite susceptible to skin cancer and related diseases; life on the Memoria Fleet also doesn't exactly provide many opportunities to get a proper tan to begin with either.
Their life cycles are remarkably quick, reaching sexual maturity around the age of 8, mental maturity around at the age of 14 and reach full adulthood at 16 before becoming elderly at age 50 with death typically happening in the 60's and 70's. As a sort of offset for their otherwise quick lives, the Fyrite's reproduction cycle is rather unique, sharing similarities with cats. Their pregnancy cycle is only a mere 3-4 months with anywhere from one to six children per birth. They can also have multiple births a year with little consequence.
Despite what many think of them, they actually do value relationships (familial and romantic as the two largest) to quite a high degree. Its that they socially see sex and romance as two different concept with one not necessarily being directly linked to the other. Some marriages have actually occurred out of platonic love or emotional support with the children being raise in the family not being that of the mother and father, but of that born from extramarital affairs.
Such relationships (and emotions in general) are actually quite common with the Fyrite who adore closeness and companionship again in a manner similar to cats. Whatever outward appearance a Fyrite may put on will be replaced with either a very loyal companionship or a very attached romance once someone begins to personally know them. Its postulated that such is the case as Fyrites or their ancestors were once very, very fearful creatures, craven of almost everything. Thus they formed close knit groups as protection and moral supports. This is also the leading theory behind why some Fyrite will appear very willful or strong or brave even though they are actually quite frail in terms of personality; in order protect themselves, they had to put on an act of strength to ward off dangers, something which has permeated long after they've ascended from their old place in the food chain.
Fyrites are also quite adaptable, both biologically and socially. Their well-balanced homeostatic capabilities permit them to wear anything they want (which sometimes included nothing at all) in most climates within reason. They are also the ones who've adapted the easiest to life on the Memoria Fleet, not exactly knowing all too well the concept of what "personal space" is has both worked for and against them.
Perhaps the complete opposite of the Fryrites, the Siari are a race of ancient, long-lived beings while multiple arms and bright orange blood who stand at an impressive 7-8 feet tall on average. They lay a (debated) claim to the most intelligent beings, at least in their own eyes. Infamously snooty and arrogance, its could be said that it was their hubris which lead to the events that caused the current state of the MF. With four-fingered hands and long, lanky limbs, Siari are undoubtedly frail and their lack of significant muscle mass means that they also don't have great endurance or strength or speed.
The Siari have rubbery blueish-grey flesh, often tightly pulled across their thin bones. The have no internal lungs, instead having gland-like structures at the top of their heads and shoulders which pull oxygen from the air around them. As such, these areas are often mislabelled as "glowing bits" while in truth they are simply where the most oxygenated (thus brightest) blood is. Also as such, the Siari have quite the mask fetish out of necessity, in order to both protect their vulnerable heads (which also houses their enlarged brains) and to help purify the air around them, making them suitable for respiration.
Several styles of Siari masks
Capable for living centuries at a time, its not uncommon for some to even live up to a millennia or more assuming ideal living conditions are met, something that's rarely seen on the Memoria Fleet. Slow to age and mature, these creatures often only produce one or two offspring in their entire lives, the most fertile ever recorded for intraspecies breeding is 5 children. Of course, when breeding with a Fryrite, their offspring potential skyrockets but the natural low arousal rate, there is still a comparatively low rate.
While some might expect the Siari to maintain something of an "upper echelon" in society due to their high intelligence and long lives, its not quite so much the case, namely as the Fyrite easily out number them and the Aphid... well they're the Aphid. In fact, most Siari take less of a "leader" stance and more of a "mentor" stance, often working as teachers, aids, sages; only those with great drive, zeal and amibtion work in positions of power like company CEOs and politicians but by no means dominate the respective landscapes.
Benefiting their minds, it can be said that even if the Siari are the ones who caused the current situation, they are without a doubt the original founders of the old empire, being the first to venture into space and colonize as well as making AI robotics, of the most notable are the Archons, strange looking machines that no one quite remembers how the design was created as they certainly do not resemble any Siari. Some older Siari tell tales on how they first discovered the Fyrites when they where simply glorified cat tribes and the Aphids as giant, unintellignet bugs before genetically modifying them into what they were today for original use as soldiers and sex slaves. However, this tale has two major flaws: there was a very small market for sexual industries within native Siari soceities and the Archons where the ones who
Siari are also very long term thinkers, not put off by what would seem to most races as catastrophic failures or losses and more than willing to wait a few decades or even centuries for investments to pay off. That said, they are not oblivious to failure and there are times which they will act more impetuously.
Aphid Drone Aphid Scourge
Perhaps the most alien and fear-inducing race aboard the Memoria Fleet, the Aphid are sometimes referred to as "hyper evolved bugs" as that's what they basically are. The Aphid in short are the stuff of nightmares, swift giant bugs that stand as tall if not taller than most bipedal species that whisk about on long, claw-like legs, covered in hard chitin and can are extremely venimous. They are mindless bugs with a hunger to devour entire worlds.
Or so the Siari and the Fyrite like to say.
While that description was certainly true at one point with some bits of it lingering on to this day, one could call modern Aphid more "civil" or "docile". Sure they still look creepy as hell and will probably make you shit your pants if you saw one in a dark hallway, but due to a lack of a hivemind, they no longer feel a compulsory need consume biomass. They still do possess quite an appetite if left unchecked and are still quite aggressive however. As such, the two other races of the MF like to toy with outsiders of how they "live with savage monsters on a daily basis", both as an ego boast and to chuckle as outsiders fearfully keep watch for such creatures as they make their way through ships.
Of course, the Aphid have their own take on this seeing as they are intelligent beings who have their own language based around clicks and chirps (although their "yelling" sounds a lot more like yodeling for some reason); the Fyrite and Siari inhabitants can understand said chirps and clicks in a way similar to how people understand droid beeps in Star Wars (the Fyrite's sensitive ears can pick up the variations in tone and thus they can "learn" the language while Siaris simply have translators in their masks) and the Aphids have the ability to understand the other speech patterns. In terms of actual intelligence, they aren't nearly as developed as the other two, but make up this lack of understanding through a pheromone-based collective intelligence. Basically, the more of them are in an area together, the smarter each individual becomes. Funnily enough, some of these pheromones can also put Fyrites into heat.
Born of eggs, the Aphid larva and hatchlings almost resemble purplish soft-shelled lobsters before they quickly begin to grow to full size. They can also completely forgo the hatchling process and come out as a young Drone should they have proper "incubation" (ie a machine or even a living host), but such process is nonexistent in the MF. Being genderless, Aphids will seek to grow and propagate. In the past they used to either seek out a secluded area or an unlucky host for their eggs to be directly transplanted into, but now a days there are Fyrites who are more than willing to act as surrogate mothers (they will simply deliver the eggs and not have to undergo the chest-bursting method of delivery).
Younger Aphids are called "Drones" and are the most typical of Aphids species. As they age, their chitin hardens and forms more spikes and plates as their claws and tips begin to turn a bright orange, the once glowing yellow eyes turn blood red with teeth and external mandibles becoming more prevalent. These older Aphids are commonly referred to as "Scourges", referencing their brutal past.
Although the Aphid are technically immortal, many of the older ones will either commit suicide or request death as they will start to feel an instinctual "completion" in their life cycle once they have laid enough eggs. This is most likely residual commands from the hivemind which told them that those too old to be as efficient as they once where, should give themselves up to feed the younger generations. It should come as no surprise that Aphids are veracious omnivores to the point they can be seen as space goatbugs.
For those who are still curious on where the idea that Aphids are venomous and how they can spit poison; they can't. Its one of those things that the Fyrites and Siaris made up. However, their bodily wastes (which very slowly builds up over the course of months or even years) is known to be highly toxic as it literally everything even their stellar digestive systems can't breakdown.
Government:
As a whole, the Memoria Fleet functions much like a feudal government. Each ship is left to their own business with the Captain and their "Crew Court", the small group of high-ranking officials who work along side the Captain to maintain the overall ship. Given the variation between ships, the Crew Courts vary between a few of the Captain's best friends and mates to a rather extensive network or even council of advisors, officials, politicians, and courtiers depending on the size of the ship in question. Captains themselves are often granted admiralty based on inheritance in a way that monarchs would pass their title down to their children; this creates "Noble Houses", sometimes referred to as "Captain Houses". On ocassion however, a Captain House will be usurped by the people living/working aboard a ship which usually involves placing a new Captain and Crew Court in power after either letting the old Captain settle down or be throw out an airlock.
Above the Captains are the Commodores, those who are in charge of commanding several ships, often of a similar type or role. So you can have an Commodore of several habitat ships or factory ships. Unlike Captains, they are actually voted in by Captains of a certain "Division" which they are organized into; it should be noted that captains and ships will remain in their Divisions even if there is no Commodore unless instructed by high powers. As such, Commodores will have their own "bannerships" Crew Courts which they command their Division from. There can be multiple Divisions of a certain role or class of ship, each marked by numbers with each individual ship marked by a letter or their name. So a typical callsign could look something like:
Habitat Division 5, Ship C, "Remedy"
Another step above the Admirals and the Commodore are the Admirals who are in charge of an entire class/role/type of ship (ie the Factory Admiral is the one who is in command of the all the Factory Ships). Leading from more impressive ships, they play a critical cog in the Memoria Fleet's administration as they are the ones who have to keep the Captains and Commodores in check while also maintaining a bureaucracy and garrison on the ships and Divisions they command. Unlike the last two ranks, Admirals are directly appointed by the Lord Admirals from amongst promising Captains, Commissars or even individuals.
Finally at the top is a council of 5 Lord Admirals who act as the the head of all governmental decisions, their odd number ensures there can be no even split. New Lord Admirals are nominated by existing Lord Admirals and voted in by existing Admirals. In some cases, a Commodore or even a Captain can be voted into the position of Lord Admiral should they receive enough popular support for one of the Lord Admirals to nominate them. Generally the oldest, most cunning or most ambitious leaders, Lord Admirals lead from one of few Worldships, massive ships of that could have only been made pre-Exodus and can house millions, often so large that one can find entire villages or settlements of people who've gotten lost in them.
Laws:
Most issues aboard a ship are resolved "in-house" either by Captains and Crew Courts or organized Iudex Courts that some Captains create to lessen their responsibility and work burden. Judgements are often final and are based on translations of the "Memoria Union Fleet Charter" (MUFC for short) that was written down by the original surviving leadership of the races on the eve of the Exodus. In the cases which a case cannot be solved locally, they are appealed upwards toward Commodores, then Admirals and the Lord Admirals need be. However, most cases are solved by the time they reach an Admiral's desk as by that point it involves so much paperwork that one side drops out.
Tradition has it that no matter what process is used, the Captain always has final say in the matter and holds absolute authority in matters regarding order and discipline. However, given the relatively light crimes committed, criminals will often be assigned more work or more labor-intensive, audacious work. Repeated offenders might "accidentally" be left on nearby worlds, causing friction between the Memoria Fleet and the systems they pass through. This is done as a matter of necessity as Captains cannot afford to have someone who is non-productive on their ship.
Capitol punishment is something, while frowned upon, is seen as a needed evil in the Fleet, but it only ever dealt to those convicted of treason, of which included mutiny, high-jacking and related treacherous-behavior. However, instead of firing squad, the Memoria Fleet deals the death penilty in two ways: Airlock or get eaten by Aphids. Seeing as both ways do not offer quick or a clean one, most inhabitants are effectively "scared" into follow laws, not that most would dare endanger whats left of their home to begin with.
To enforce its laws and the MUFC, the Memoria Fleet uses its military-police unit, the Memoria Marines to maintain order. Because of this, the Marines have gained a taste for CQB and are adept for the type of combat often found in the corridors of ships. Each Division is assigned a "Policing Vessel" or "Marine Ship" which acts like a police station and HQ for the local Memoria Marines.
History:
Spend at least 4 paragraphs telling us the general history of your nation. Important wars, how it came to be what it is today, and so on.
Culture
Want to know what life on the Memoira Fleet is like? Two words: Pragmatic Survival. With much of their culture based around this idea of survivability and sustainability.
This is super-important. At least 6 paragraphs on culture. This includes religion and the such.
Places/People/Organizations of Importance:
This is self-explanatory.
Military Size:
For the typical species, a military cannot be larger than 7% of the total population. But if you have some special reason that it should be higher, I'll most likely allow it.
Military Details
The Memoria Fleet's military is by its very nature more of a policing and garrison force rather than that of a traditional army as much of their duty revolves around just protecting the ships. And much like what the rest of the Fleet is like, while there are standardizations in gear and equipment, they tend to be dodgy on what exactly those standards are, leaving what the local outfit for a Patrol will be to a Division Commodore, leading to no real "standard" Fleet Guardsmen.
Split between the Fleet Marines and the Fleet Navy, its fairly obvious what the two branches do. The Fleet Marines, or FleeMar, is responsible for the infantry based
Describe the strength, organization, command-structure, and any other necessary details of your military. 3 paragraphs minimum.
Military Tech:
Go nuts!
Civilian Tech:
Really go nuts! For at least 3 paragraphs!
Economy:
While not declining, the economy of the Memoria Fleet is certainly going no where fast. It basically stands between "Stagnant" and "Minuscule Change". Between ships and inhabitants, there is no currency as there isn't much to back up a coinage with barter of goods and services for things they cannot create themselves. Due to limited space on the ships, anything which cannot be used or is no longer of use are bartered or scrapped for things which can be used. To this end, all ships will have some form of "Public Hall" which is like a mix of a market and forum where workshops, market stalls and the few entertainment venues allowed by Captains.
While general goods are freely traded in a free market-styled environment, things such as food and medicine are much more tightly controlled by the Admirals and High Admirals. Food is not bought but instead issued out in rations on a daily basis, three per person at strictly fixed times and amounts. Aphids technically get more as they are allowed to feed on the ship's waste and dead bodies, of which they can digest, sating their greater hunger. Still, food and medicine flow is heavily monitored, guarded and checked in the case of a shortage/infection or even worse, a mass starvation or an epidemic.
Another way which the Memoria Fleet acquired resources to feed its industrial ships is by strip-mining astroids with large pre-Exodus mining vessels and on occasion, they'll even mine out small uninhabited planets or moons, thus another point of friction between the Fleet and the systems they pass through. Races with industrial or corporate interests in a system though may offer "gifts" of ships, food or resources as a way of trying to prevent such mining from occurring, of which the Lord Admirals often accept as they are in no possession to be picky. However, they will sometimes still linger to sell trinkets and services to planets with populations as life on the Memoria Fleet tends to produce good engineers and scavengers while the Fyrite tend to find themselves a "point of attraction" for the some of the planet's younger members, either way, work is generally not too hard to find if a they decide to stay in a system.
Spacefaring Vessels
The Memoria Fleet has many ships of all sorts of worlds and models. Many of them are bought second-hand from other systems or companies, thus creating the nickname of the "Museum Fleet" as one can see quite and array of ships from the past as they are cheap. Such ships are often either long since decommissioned or near breaking, set to be sent to the scrapyard before the Fleet manages to get their hands on them. However, no matter how worn down or old a ship may be, the engineers of the Memoria Fleet can work wonders and often put them back into a workable condition. Said ships can range in appearance and quality that range from "cobbled together flying safety hazard" to "almost looks like its brand new", of course such things depend on the state of time and resources available to the Memoria Fleet. In fact, such abilities of jury-rigging is seen throughout the Fleet, combined with a tinge of stubbornness means that once the Fleet has decided a ship, or anything in general, will work, it probably will.
Please describe, in as much detail as possible, the sort of space vessel you use and how they operate. Don't forget to include the general size of these vessels, how many people they can carry, and what sort of weapons they use. This should be at least 4 paragraphs long.
Talvyrn's homeworld is designated Bravadis of the Railus System, otherwise called the "Ruined System" locally. Such a name originates from the system's sorry state as many of its planets have been destroyed and turned into floating bits of space rock thanks to a few well-placed Warp Storms which dramatically changed some of the orbits of the planets while also dragging in astroids and existing space rock, causing devastating collisions which fractured many planets into the vast number of astroid and planetary debris currently existing within the Ruined System. That is not to say there aren't planet that are untouched, but its dangerous to fly around the system even for experienced pilots.
Bravadis itself was once a feudal world with countless lords dotting the rolling hills, vast forests, epic mountains and temperate plains with their domains and kingdoms. However, since Talvyrn's rule and its subsequent reintroduction into the Imperium, it has seen its technology advance rapidly advanced to the stage of that of a Civilized World with traces of the start of a Hive World. At one point there was a ring orbiting around it, resulting from the space rock and debris of the Railus System that has managed to become trapped by Bravadis's gravitational pull. Said ring has been collected into an artificial moon called "Faria" which has become home to the fortress monestary of Talyrn's legion, the Warden Aegis.
Appearance:
Standing near 11 feet, Talvyrn, like his brothers and sisters, is a model human perfection in the Emperor's eyes thanks to his geneseed. Chiseled abs, sharp features, fiery amber eyes, a head of short, rugged dark steel hair and a certain noble swagger in his stride, while Talvyrn may not be the most upstanding pinnacle of physical beauty compared to some of his other siblings, he certainly isn't too far behind. Despite his broad build and beige skin, he is not without his flaws.
A result of warp corruption while the ruinous powers where busy dispersing the Primarchs, Talvyrn's arms are covered in a series of geometric lines that almost resemble the lines of a computer chip that glow a faint radioactive green at all times. They once caused a great deal of trouble for the Primarch on Bravadis before he gained power within Bravadian society.
His armor is nearly identical to that of his Astarte soldier, perhaps a sign of his humbler side but it of course unique to him. His armor is a mix of silver, steel grey, lapis blue and regal gold, laminated with a coat of special paint that is not only scratch resist, but also makes his armor sparkle and shimmer ever so slightly in the light as if it was covered in fine diamond dust. Along his arms are a series of lines meant to look like the lines which run across his own arms, now proudly shown after the Emperor had made contact with him. A crown of beautiful laurels sits upon his gentle face when there is no need for a helmet.
By far the most unique part of his armor however is his servo-harness obtained from the Adeptus Mechanicus as mix of his relative closeness to the machine cultists and a bit of strong arming using his name and position of authority. Its four additional limbs grant Talvyrn greater efficiency as he tinkers and toys in his personal workshop but has also become an essential part of his combat style. He is well aware that his skill at arms is probably less than that of his siblings in most cases, making up for it by carrying a multitude of weapons and pieces of equipment on his servo-arms, turning him into a very tricky opponent indeed.
In terms of actual weapons, Talvyrn can carry more than most given his servo-arms. But his main pieces of gear are his two blades and his combat shield. The first blade is a power sword is called Ironpride, fashioned to resemble the great sword of the knights who once served him on Bravadis while his second blade is a shorter "power dagger" carried in his off hand with his shield called Soul Hook, referencing its purpose as a way to "catch" enemy blades between the shield and the dagger, forcing the target open and vulnerable for an attack. His shield, Sentinel Brave, is and upgraded version of traditional Aegis Wards used by his Legion (which are upgraded versions of traditional combat shields in themselves).
Personality:
Talvyrn is the embodiment of the Emperor’s creativity, ingenuity and pragmatism, demonstrated through his myriad creations and endless notes. His constructs and diagrams rival that of the Adeptus Mechanicus’s, of which the two have a close relation to, no doubt stemming from the Primarch’s inherent technological and engineering abilities. That said, for all the wondrous creations he can think up, Talvyrn favors a simpler approach, not out of laziness, but out of sheer pragmatism.
If Talvyrn’s simpler approach to things sets him a bit apart from his Astartes siblings, then it his humbleness and loyality that really drives the divide. Raised by poor peasants and living amongst the common folk of Bravadis, Talvyrn has a very unique outlook on life compared to many of his brothers and sisters. While one for storytelling, Talvyrn finds little in boasting of personal achievements; that’s not to say he won’t indulge himself with it every so often, but Talvyrn is not one to list his kill count at every opportunity. This goes to the point that he will sometimes gloss over his own role in events in favor of highlighting the actions of other, “unimportant” characters. As such, he’s gained quite an admirable reputation from both his home system and the average Imperial Army soldier as he’s one of the few people in a position of power that seem to remotely care about their contribution.
It is perhaps because that he shows care and remorse in the smaller cogs of the “Imperial Machine”, that Talvyrn also sees the tremendous worth of them to the point its influenced himself. Talvyrn remarks this might also be his father’s compassion in side of him although even he regards it as an unfounded claim. While many other Primarch and Space Marines would love to try their hand at obtaining glory in battle on the frontlines, Talvyrn is something of the complete opposite. The Primarch actually prefers a supporting role both ideologically (he sees great value in being an efficient support unit) as well a practically (by reserving his troops from the front, they obviously take less losses in theory).
With relation to the Emperor, Talvyrn venerates his father as not some godly being, but more of a brilliant mentor and father. He takes the Emperor’s message to mean to always think for the Imperium as a whole in way of a machine with each part, no matter how small, to be of importance and use. The Primarch disapproves of most forms of zealotry concerning his father as, like much of what the Emperor says, Talvyrn takes it to heart. Any attempt of turning the Emperor into a god would a direct violation of the Emperor’s orders.
Of course, there is a harsher, serious side to the High Lord Talvyrn. Going in line with his “Imperial Machine” thinking, he has a tendancy of “hardening up” and letting losses from others mount up for what he perceives as “the greater good”. In short, he get really good at seeing things as numbers, and as long as there are plenty of replacement parts of the Imperial Machine to use, then there is no reason why the loss of a few thousand should really concern him in this state.
Skills:
Engineering is by far Talvyrn’s most famous skills; a prolific designer for sure as he has single handily designed almost all of the wargear used by his legion. His creations are noted for deviating from more conventional designs and patterns, unorthodox but creative nonetheless. Of course, not all of his designs either work or satisfies his standards and are thus met with mixed results. It is also due to this tinkering nature and handy prowess that the Primarch and the Adeputs Mechanicus are on very good terms.
In a similar vein, Talvyrn’s defensive ability has been helped by his engineering ability. His troops remark that even if he were to fortify a small hut, it’d turn into an amazing bunker or that a hole in the ground could suddenly become a very defendable artillery position, complete with small walls for cover.
His martial style and skill is about as equally unique as the nature of his constructs and designs, heavily using his servo-harness as an assist. Acquired through a mixture of cordial meetings and some strong arming through the use of his position, his servo-arms will carry and use weapons, letting he be something of a walking armory. In terms of actual combat style, he has a very defensive stance, only striking out after parries, repoise or blocks. When fighting in a group, he prefers to be a supporting role, firing from afar. However, he does “lead from the front” when commanding Astartes.
In terms of his pysker abilities, Talvyrn is a lower-end Kappa on the Imperial Assignment Scale. The Primarch claims that his technological prowess comes in part from what physic abilities he does possess however.
While unrelated, Talvyrn has long claimed the title of having the best singing voice of all his siblings amusingly enough.
Biography:
As was the case with all Primarch, Talvyrn was created by the Emperor before being thrown into the warp by the ruinous powers of Chaos. It is clear that the time in the Warp has altered Talvyrn physically through warp corruption; ever since his birth his arms have been host to “tracer” lines; geometric , radioactive green lines that ran up and down his skin, something which would brand him a “mutant” by the time he landed on Bravadis.
Luckily however, the man who found the baby Primarch on the endless plains of Bravadis was not one of superstition. He went by the name of “Lloyd Gallogoth”, a present father to a commoner family of a wife and three other children, and worked as a migrant laborer, going with the seasons to do whatever work was open. They were by no means a wealthy family, but very close, treating the young like their own child even though it was soon clear he was something more than just human.
Naming the Primarch “Talvyrn” after a Bravadian fairytale hero, Lloyd would pass on his views of the world and his thinking to his adopted son. “Always be humble, always be loyal, always be kind and always be thankful” Lloyd would often repeat. It’s said that the years he spent with the Gallogoths would shape his idea and solidify within him the value of support.
As was with all Primarch, Talvyrn grew at great speeds, resembling an 8 year old by the time he was 8 months and already as smart as a teenager. It would be around this point which Talvyrn had to constantly cover his arms as instructed by his father as he was drawing unwanted attention to the family. Loyally wrapping his arms in linen wrap, Talvyrn followed his father’s instructions.
Once the lines had been covered, the Gallogoths were still receiving a great deal of attention, not from the lines on their rapidly aging son’s arms, but their son’s technical abilities. Talvyrn had long tinkered and crafted things for his family to use or sell, tools and trinkets and those sorts of things. But eventually he started to take it on as a sort of profession, adding repair work for others into the mix. Eventually his skills became more and more widely known as people lined up in front of Talvyrn’s tiny stand as fast as he could fix thing, almost magically. It would seem like that through his skill alone, the Gallogoths would be lifted from poverty.
But then, it all changed.
As the family was migrating one day with several other migrant laborers as they had done forwhen Talvyrn was roughly 15 years old and already looking like a man twice his age, a stream of bandits attacked their small convoy
As the family migrating one day with several other migrant family, looking for work which they had done for generations and seasons past memory, they were attacked. Waves upon waves of bandits and looters streamed from forests and caves, unleashing native beasts upon the small convoy. Turns out that there was word of a wealthy noble travelling through the area and the bandits believed the migrant convoy to be the noble’s caravan and had slaughtered them all.
Watching as Llyod and his family, as well as several other familys where cut down as they begged for life, Talvyrn felt the rage growin inside of him. Two loots with pointy sticks attempted to bully the angry primarch into submission, but they were the first of many which Tlavyrn slew with his bare hands that day. The outlaw army that was hundreds strong at the start, was cut down to less than a dozen as the Primarch slaughtered their comrades.
Once the violence was over, Talvyrn walked over to the body of Llyod, his father that he had now known for years. There was no final words to be had, no last breath as the man had since long died, his arms clinging tightly to his mauled wife and children. And then, for the first time ever, Talvyrn felt his eyes water as tears dropped on to the bloodied earth. After letting out a deep, primal roar, the Primarch gently picked up the bodies of not only the Gallogoths, but the other migrant families and laid them each to rest at the side of the road. The gravedigging process took the entire day, the sun a low hanging crimson ball by the time Talvyrn was done, pondering on what to do now.
It would be there that he would meet the wealthy lord which the bandits he just slew hoped to encounter, the Lord Valitz. Spotting the giant primarch on the side of the road, staring at freshly dug grave, the Lord asked the primarch what was wrong. After a long-winded conversation, the Lord offered Talvyrn a spot by his side, seeing worth in his skills as a smith and crafter as faint words of a peasant with remarkable mechanical skills had reached the ears of nobles.
Now in the family of a noble, Talvyrn was provided the best education that could be provided to him as well as the training of his martial and social. His incredible mind was shown as within a year of entering the Lord's court, he had already exhausted all the known teachers, read all the books and learned everything that not only the Lord could offer, but what was known to that of the entire planet. After learning all that he could, Talvyrn set off to invent and tinker to create new constructs and creations for Lord Valitz as if to “repay the debt” he owed to the noble for expanding his views. It shouldn’t be a surprise that because of this the Lord’s power grew immensely as he gained a technological edge over all the others lords.
However, with such power, there were many who wish to see the Lord fall. After months of careful planning and conspiring, hitmen snuck into the estate and planted daggers into each and everyone one of the occupants, each one dying in their sleep under a pool of blood. The plot was going smoothly, until the attacker reached Talvyrn. With his superhuman body, the Primarch was unfazed by the tiny dagger pushed into his chest as he woke up and punched the attacker across the room before meeting the other assassins and the fate of Lord Valtiz and his family. Once more rage consumed him as he turned the assassins into red paste and broken bones.
One the morning sun had risen, Talvyrn immediately took control of the family’s wealth, servants, land and power part by force but also part in a will of tradition that the oldest child would be the heir. Technically there was still a child who was still alive that ranked above the Primarch as he was the blood child, Donovan, of the Lord, but his wounds prevented him from doing anything, thus Donovan transferred all his power to his adopted brother.
With the power of a Lord behind him, Talvyrn immediately raised an army to exact vengeance upon those who stole yet another father from him. However, the coalition against him was large and those willing to support and upstart like him were few and far between. Thus, Talvyrn turned to those same exact people he originally was part of: the presents.
Through a series of new policies and laws in his realm, Talvyrn gained the support of the common folk and put aside the expect noble greed for the poorer peoples. Taxes where lessened, technology of Tlavyrn’s creation was shared, livelihoods where improved and greater social mobility was allowed. Soon common folk began to come from other lands after hearing about the “Talvyrn Dream”, leaving their old lords for a life anew. And with new people came greater population, and with greater population, came a larger work force and a larger levy for Talvyrn’s personal army.
Armed with his elite unit of knightly retinue and his vast armies of well equipped, loyal peasants, Talvyrn marched on those who had faulted him in the past, his brother Donovan now fit enough to lead alongside the much larger and wiser Talvyrn. And through a mix of clever diplomacy and brilliant victories, Talvyrn’s power great and great, his allies soon out numbering his enemies as he slowly began to bring the entirety of Bravadis under his control, becoming the “High Lord of Bravadis” in less than a decade.
Now with a planet at peace, Talvyrn began to work on improve the overall planet as a whole. Single handily advancing the technology of that of the early medieval ages to that of late renaissance, the High Lord had great plans of advancement and improvement until an Ork Waghh threatened his planet.
Once more donning his armor and blade, he lead the Bravadian army against the greentide, fighting from the front, cutting down Ork after Ork, crushing Grot after Grot under his mighty heels. However, his armies where simply no match for the Ork’s shootas and armored Nobz and Talvyrn was being pushed back by the sheer amount of bullets and green bodies being thrown at him.
And then, from the skies upon great metal drakes as legends would tell, came a giant man in a fully suit of gold, leading an army of heavily armored men in a steel grey, assisted the High Lord in pushing back the green invaders. The Emperor of Mankind had cometh.
Once the last Ork had fallen dead, the Emperor revealed himself to be the true father of the lost Primarch. Overcome with joy and emotion, the High Lord of Bravadis bent his knee before his father and accepted the mantle of Primarch in front of a cheering crowd. Along with his new title, the Emperor granted his son the XIX Legion, which Talvyrn soon named the “Wardens Aegis”. A name taken from the very same fairytale which Lloyd had taken Talvyrn’s name form all those years ago. A celebration was held that had lasted for 2 days and 2 nights, during which the Emperor educated his son on the galaxy at large. Once the festivals had ended, the masses had watched as their High Lord departed along side his golden father, the Emperor of Mankind, and ascended into the heavens.
Since then, Talvyrn has been busy, not on the front lines of the crusade, but instead in his own quarters and mind. An innumerable number of notes, diagrams, blueprints, and writings are scattered about his personal room and workshop as the Primarch churns out equipment ideas, training regimes, combat strategies and requisition requests to numerous Forge Worlds for his Legion. His home world of Bravadis has also not strayed far from its mind, advancing at an unprecedented technological pace as their Great Lord sent forth orders for roads, factories, cathedrals and other buildings which he learned about from else where and wanted to implement on to Bravadis to improve it, hoping to set it as a "standard" for the rest of the Imperium. The Primarch has also made very well with the Adeptus Mechanicus who he dazzled with his concepts and designs for more specialized variants and versions of more common Astartes equipment.
Now that he has come to an acceptable point (in his mind at least) in time, Talvyrn wishes to honor his father's call to arms and repaying his self perceived debt to him by testing out his creations on the battle field as to try to find ways of improving them as well as fighting his grand crusade. Of course, he isn't exactly seeking glory by charging in the front with his troops, preferring to play a safer, but just as important role as support. After all, there’s a common saying on Bravadis that spawned after Talvyrn’s rise to power, "There can be no crown if there is no men willing to support it".
The Meeting:
Talvyrn’s senses must have failed he, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing or hearing. He, the High Lord of all of Bravadis in equal parts shock and awe as the man very man who drove back the “Green Scourge” which threatened the very life of Bravadis, towered before him in his glorious golden armor. The High Lord Lavyrn had always been abnormally tall amongst humans, but now he felt a bit short before this savior from the skies and his grey armored angels. And in his shadow, the man revealed to Talvyrn their connection.
“F-father?” Talvyrn questioned it he was dreaming or not, had he always been the child of this great man and the new savior of his planet?
"Yes my son," the Emperor's regal voice boomed, "I, the Emperor of Mankind, have arrived to bring you and your world back into the hands of mankind."
“Thou must jest… surely?” Talvyrn’ doubted his “father’s” words, but at the same time, he could not help but to believe them. Something kept tugging at his mind to accept those words, but Talvyrn did his best to ignore it.
"I have no reason as to fool someone like you my child. You, found in the wild, raised by the common man, ascending to nobility before claiming this world as your domain; there is no doubt in my mind that only one of my Primarch children would be capable of this feat in the short amount of time which you have done it in.”
Talvyrn felt something in his mind change, as he reflected on the past. It was true, no normal man would have been capable of doing the feats he had, winning sieges under a month, laying down hundreds of roads, singlehandly propelling his people into increasingly advanced times. Yes, perhaps there was truth after all.
“Your words art most truthful, I cannot help but accept your claims. What shall you ask of me now? Talvyrn straightened his back to a much more dignified stand as he began to open up to this Emperor.
The towering man smiled, "Now my son, will you follow your destiny to guide mankind into greatness? Will you have your name be chanted not in this world but across a million worlds by a million gracious men and women? Shall you let your legacy be forever remembered across a thousand suns and monuments? Lead my grand armies on the most illustrious campaigns?"
Talvyrn smiled back as he lowered his knee and bowed before his father, the Emperor of Mankind, “Yes, yes I shall father. Under my honor and strength, I shall swear myself and this great empire of mine unto thou, my fatherly liege.”
The Emperor smiled as he helped his newly found Primarch son off the ground, “Very well son. Let us get going as soon as possible for there is much for you to learn. Your planet will be in the good hands of my Imperium, you have nothing to fear as you venture forth on the Great Crusade.” “Then I am in your debt, father.” Talvryn smiled as he traded being the crown of a High Lord for a crown of a Primarch.
Legion Name:
Wardens Aegis
Legion Number:
XIX
Legion Strength:
Approximately 90,000 Astartes organized into six "Houses" (Companies/Chapters), each 15,000 strong. The number of Squires (Chapter Serfs) is roughly double that as each marine has two serfs to himself, although some may take more while others take none. Additional support is provided by the Imperial Army/Navy and the Adeptus Mechanicus and upon adding the number of civilians and servitors, the total size of the XIX Legion is about 640,000.
Armour Appearance:
Warcry:
"For the High Lord and his Liege!" "Unto Victory!" "The Wardens protects!
Dramatis Personae:
The Chapters of the XIX Legion are split up into "Houses" instead of Chapters, a simple name change which has its roots in the traditional nobility of Bravadis. Each House is then lead by a Baron who once served the High Lord as his time on Bravadis as a Marshal or likewise. While there is no official designation of specialities between the Houses assigned by Talvyrn, each of the Houses have developed a favoritism towards certain methods and "cultures" based on their Barons. Barons are also given special power-lances in most cases as a sign of their position and power; the only exception to that rule is Baron Greyret who favors a bardiche-like chain axe.
Baron Vendric the Faithful, one of Talvyrn’s oldest friends who has seen much and been through much at High Lord Talvyrn’s side. An imposing figure with a powerful voice, he walks with every bit of grave and nobility that a regal man of his birth is expected to. Vendric is known to follow the Primarch’s orders to the word and has long since been his confidante, someone who Talvyrn has great trust in both his abilities and their bond. In a way no similar to how Talvryn venerates the Emperor, Vendric venerates his liege in a slightly more subdued and subtle way.
Current has a rivalry with Talvryn’s brother, Baron Donovan of the Fourth House, over who is the “heir” to the Legion. Vendric claims loyalty and companionship while Donovan claims family; the Primarch himself has remained silent on the matter, only saying, “The Fates hath already decide thy for thy”.
The First House is perhaps the “standard” Chapter of Wardens Aegis, proficient in drop pod landing and shock tactics, Talvryn routinely finds them to be his most reliable troops.
Baron Greyret the Rising, perhaps a poster boy of what some calls the “Bravadian Dream”. Born to poor commoners, Greyret had been levied into one of Talvryn’s many armies during his unification wars. Rising through the ranks, he’s carved his way into power and respect through blood and service, none in the Legion knows hard work and sacrifice quite like Greyet.
Famed (or infamous depending on who you ask) for his loud, booming voice full of colorful language, the Rising Baron is known to curse more than he breathes and almost always looking like he’s enraged over something. Greyret takes absolutely no shits from anyone and lacks social grace, however Talvryn has found him being one of the most reliable, if not direct and brutal, members of his former retinue on Bravadis. Talvryn is also one of the few people who Greyret actually respects and will listen to, and thus the only one who keeps him on his leash.
The Second House is known for its ferocity in close combat, mostly using bardiche-like chainaxes and chainswords along with the occasional bolt pistol and Aegis Ward. Almost savage in their fighting, the Second House is more than able to sew huge amounts of chaos, confusion and destruction amongst enemy lines, especially if given explosives, their unfailing (if not reckless) bravery means that they tend to be the Wardens Aegis's vanguard unit.
Baron Iudex the Immortal, a man who once lusted for battle so much, that he is no longer fazed by danger. Perhaps at one point he was a power-hungry young man with a drive to prove himself as the best warrior by throwing himself against all who’d dare to fight him, its clear that his cockiness and aggression has since faded, giving away to “combat apathy” with nothing breaking him.
While old, mistaking his age for weakness is a great mistake as his swordplay is second to none in the Wardens, having bested even the Primarch a few times prior to his ascension.
The Third House takes after their Baron in the way of their overall combat skills, being the most disciplined force of the Wardens. Their apparent apathy also translates well to interrogators when the Primarch needs someone questioned “gently”.
Familial brother to Talvryn, Baron Donovan the Skybound has seen his adopted sibling through many of his adventures, battles and escapades. Something of a glory hound, Donovan is always trying to find a way to spread his fame and isn’t above using the Legion’s name to do it. Clearly showing narcissism to some degree, he says he’s “always willing to do anything in the name of the Warden Aegis”, whether that be something self serving or truly heroic. Donovan also seems to have an inability to just say “I” and always says “I, Baron Donovan of the Wardens Aegis Fourth House,” instead.
There is something of a dispute between Donovan and his rival Vendric over the title of “heir”. Donovan claims family and tradition reins supreme over Vendric’s skill and companionship.
The Fourth House is actually the void-specialized house of the Wardens, Baron Donovan the Fleet Commander and his space marines specialized in the way of ship-to-ship combat, void-battling, boarding actions and aerial support. Donovan says that his interest in void warfare stems from an interest in traditional water-based naval combat.
Baron Guilis the Shield, perhaps the odd one out of the group. Guilis was actually the commander of the guard on Bravadis and while still a powerful position; the spot of a marshal or a general of the army was on a completely different level. He’s actually much more skilled at planning out logistical operations and managing supplies than levying an offense.
However, Baron Guilis knows his way around defenses and can easily construct a sturdy outpost or base given the time and resources, which he can almost always manage. He is the most “book smart” person out of all of the Barons and is known to be as pragmatic as the Primarch in some regards. Guilis is also the reason why the Primarch always has ample amounts of resources to fiddle around with when making something.
The Fifth House as such is known for its supporting defensive roles, typically dropping down behind friendly lines, acting as reserves and garrison while also manning defenses. They also carry most of the heavier weapons in the Wardens Aegis like heavy bolters and lascannons. It should come as no surprise that the Fifth House also has more servitors and tech-marines than others.
Baron Lothric of the Sixth House, widely regarded as a saint or an angel, hence his name the “Saintly Lord” or even “Saint Lothric”. A poor boy raised to become a zealous preacher, Lothric has always been a man of great compassion. His charisma made him a well like figure as he lead religious orders along side Talvyrn during his unification of Bravadis. Of course, his gentle, kinder ways aren’t aways humored by Talvyrn, even when he’s in his more generous moods.
Lothric himself is something of a combat missionary, both he and his troops zealously now spreading the word of the Emperor. The soldiers of the Sixth House are known for their zealous bravery and stubborn iron will. They are also the “posterboys” of the Legion to civilian populaces, at least the kind hearted side and not the “brave, bold astral warriors” posterboy. It might also explain the large number of Imperial Army units that follow the Sixth House around when possible.
Favored Tactics/Battlefield Role:
Forgoing complicated, elaborate battle strategy, the Wardens Aegis favor a much simpler shock-and-awe support tactic called "Bombard Dropping). Such a strategy has proven versatile and reliable as well has very recruit-friendly as it doesn't involve precise timing or formation movement. Its also stated that the Wardens Aegis will only use this tactic or even fight at all as a supporting unit and never a spearhead.
Bombard Dropping consists of two parts: Bombarding and Dropping. A very complex strategy as some might say no doubt.
First, the Warden Aegis's orbital bombardment specialized ships saturate a select area with heavy fire to weaken local units, these areas are landing areas of which are often just behind the front line. Once the area has been sufficiently softened up with the enemy still reeling from the hail of fire, Astarte Drop Pods will rain from the sky on to the planet, just behind the enemy's front lines. Emerging from the pods, the Warden Aegis Space Marines charge out and move back towards friendly front lines, all while trying to wreck as much havoc as they can on their way there, often by cutting off reinforcements and supplies, destroy fortified positions from behind and disrupting command posts.
Once the Wardens make their way back to friendly lines, they will go to the back lines to rearm and tend to their wounded before either rejoining the advance as more front line troops or spread out screening infantry, or act as rear guard, making sure the enemy doesn't try to do the same thing they just did while also manning positions in the case the front line needs to fall back.
The slight deviations in this plan can included simply dropping ahead or close to advancing friendly forces as a sort of "surprise" reinforcement or screening force, being part of a hammer and anvil where they will act as the hammers to gun down the flanked hostiles. Of course, there are then more variations and deviations based on Houses due to their respective Barons.
Legion Characteristics/Ideology:
Being the Legion of Talvyrn, it should come as no surprise that the Warden Aegis use, and often prefer, the creations of their Primarch. Such wargear is often referred to as "Talvyrn-pattern" or "WarGis-pattern" for obvious reasons, their relation to the AdMech also means they always have a reliable way of obtaining such wargear and equipment. The most used and known creations are:
Talvyrn-pattern Bolter - A bolter with a longer barrel, faster fire rate, sleeker design and in all honesty, looks a bit like an Ork Shoota. While the resemblance was coincidence, many in the Wardens joke that what Talvyrn did to create it was "take a shoota and actually make it work", to which Talvyrn humorously plays along with.
Broken Lances - Do not let the name fool you, Broken Lances are not broken nor are they true lances, but instead power sword-staves modeled after the Warden Aegis's Primarch's personal blade. They have a surprising amount of versatile uses as they function as one handed and two handed swords as well as spears.
Aegis Wards - Mislabelled as the namesake wargear of the XIX Legion, Aegis Wards are modified combat shields which surprisingly light while also having built-in magnets which can be turned on or off at the user's will and will draw an opponent's melee weapon towards the shield. Many would say that this is a horrible design choice but its value is in how it can easily throw off an enemy melee combatant as their weapon is suddenly pulled off course, of which the Wardens use to great effect.
Many of the more creative marines with good hands often personalize and customize their equipment, often through the use of little trinkets, engravings or paints. More distinguished members utilize more impressive decorations like Purity Seals and other such mementoes.
The Wardens Aegis are also widely seen as one of the more humble and caring Legion, no doubt due to its Primarch and some of his Barons. Thus they enjoy a good reputation as the "Defenders of the Imperium's common man" and that jazz, which in turns leads to a stable recruitment pool as well as them having reliable support from the Imperial Army.
Like their Primarch, they focus more on the Imperium as a whole and refuse to see the Emperor as some holy divine being (even Baron Lothric only preaches the Imperial Truth as the "righteous school of thought" and carefully cuts its ties toward most religious connotations). Because of this, they are two sided in nature, one side being the "Defenders of the Imperium's common man" and the other being soldiers who have orders that must be followed.
As a Legion, the Wardens Aegis are actually a little bit more lax compared to other Legions, if not only a bit. The Wardens still follow a strict routine every day with everything planned out for them from training regimes to even meal plans. Beyond their schedules, their Primarch encourages them to try to come up with new ways of either improving themselves or the Imperium as a whole. Thus one might say that as a whole, the Wardens Aegis are a group of "brotherly warrior-scholars", their familial bonds with each other as strong as the shields they carry. Even Legion serfs are well cared for and are treated like brothers, free to mingle with the Astartes as they wish outside of training times. Wardens Aegis Legion Serfs also serve a militaristic role as well but much more defensively as putting them in a drop pod would turn them into red jelly. Many serve as pilots for the many aircrafts and transports used by the Astartes as well as acting as defensive units on board ships and bases, given a variety of weapons to fulfill their roles.
'Rank'/Type: I'z a Nob, dam gud 'un at dat! Uzed too be 'un dem Stormboyz den a Kommando!
Age: Roight 'bout a senturie by dem 'umie yearz.
Klan: Blood Axes. Wot? Chu got a zoggin' problem?
Appearance: I'za bewtefull peese 'o wurk.
A large, bulky olive green ork, Aggrox's tough, leathery skin is covered in a collection of colorful tribal marks, no doubt remnants from his time as a Stormboy and then a Kommando. He towers over many, nearing a solid 8 feet in height but walks with a permeant hunch that knocks him down a few inches obtained from his last battle as a Stormboy. Numerous scars and cut cover his muscular body, one such wound a possible reason for the slight limp in his left leg.
His armor is almost a walking museum of his life, a collection of all his trophies, treasures and triumphs. Much of his armor is that of a kommando's; the rocket rigging used by stormboyz to hold their "jet packs" is still wore by the Nob as a sort of heavy duty backpack-harness which he carries ammunition and bombz. A single, modest spike protrudes from the middle of the harness that proudly carries the symbol of the Blood Axes along with a single skull. Around his belt is additional ammunition, utility tools, bombz, two skulls and his old respirator. His greatest trophy is that of a space marine's pauldron, looted from a dead Ultramarine and wore over his right shoulder. Under all of his metal plating and trinkets is red tank-top like shirt and durable blue squig-hide pants that's been repaired and stitched together countless times, protected by an armored skirt.
Personality: "I'za kultur'd 'n inlietin'd ork, haff a zoggin' prooblam?"
Aggrox is a very interesting specimen amongst his ork cousins, and has some notably un-orky habits. The Nobs knows the virtues and worth in thinks like subtly, patience, discipline, cooperation and planning, how well he execute all of these things on a regular basis however is up for debate. With a slightly bloated ego, Aggrox sees himself as an "inlietin'd ork" who has "'umie untersandings 'o fings", his cunning as great as his narcism. The Nob also has a working understanding of "diplowmannc" above simply yelling and headbutting things from his dealings with the 'umies; he can control his voice and has learned the art of strategically headbutting.
That said, he's no less brutal and deadly as any other of his ork brethren, even if they do not see him as such. Growing up in the Blood Axes, Aggrox has learned how to deal with the constant insults being thrown at him by either taking them as a compliment or tracking said ork(s) down and beating the shit out of them with a grot. Sometimes squigs were also involved. Since becoming one of the older and more experienced orks, there's been a few less insults as he's lead several very successful raids and warbands, especially from the Boyz. He still keeps a squig handy though, just in case someone decides that some snarky remarks about him is worth being woken up at night by an angry squig trying to gnaw their face off.
History:
Skills: Kunnin' and brutal? Brutal and kunnin'? Good wiv' da bombz an stuff, is he a little bit weirdy? You know the drill.
Equipment: < Choppa < Big Shoota
Miscellaneous: Anything you want to mention but haven't been able to cover yet.
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A view of Tyrbure, the major and only city within Myrstrost
The Merchant Tower, the head of the Odysseys Guild's trading operations and administration.
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Artist rendition of one of the legendary Soulguard Knights with one of their signature massive great swords
The iconic ship of Myrstrost braving rough waters.
< Big Shoota