[center][h1]The Lux Anima Chronicles[/h1][/center]
[center][i]Bonus gold for coming up with a better title[/i][/center]
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/sruh3PCm.jpg[/img][/center]
[hr][hr]
[i][indent]Centuries ago, great civilizations fell as the world cracked and died. A mysterious mist, and the monsters that lurked within forced a great migration skyward where bastions and fortresses were built atop mountains and crumbling spires. With the coming of the mysterious mist, an element known as [b][color=lightblue][i]Lux Anima[/i][/color][/b] was discovered and refined to power immense airships and even floating cities. A new era dawned. Feudal states war over dwindling resources, as the disparity between rich and poor grows ever greater. Aberrant horrors tainted by the prolonged exposure to Lux Anima besiege the crumbling barriers built by the ancients. In far Larsa, the Sibis scholars seek to unlock the secret of the mist and the Lux Anima...


[u]You are an airship captain[/u], hell-bent on securing a fortune that you might retire to some windswept cliff manor, or a palace fortress in the Dreadmond. It is a hard life, dangerous and exciting. Hundreds of captains disappear without a trace into the cloying mists every cycle, and with them their legacy and gold. Crew your ship, trade and fight and find your personal glory. The world is a mixture of medieval and steampunk, with a dash of magitech and horror. Picture knights clashing aboard hulking airships, while red-eyed demons from the mist claw at the hull...or something like that. [/indent][/i]

[hider=The World]
[h3]The World[/h3][hr]
[i]The Book of Bapha describes the mists as the collective souls of the unworthy, clawing at the feet of civilization...[/i]
[hider=Vaaerterburg Imperium]
[center][b][h3][color=mediumslateblue]The Vaarterburg Imperium[/color][/h3][/b][/center]
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/0hlrG00.jpg[/img][/center][hr]

[indent]From the high ramparts of the Vaarterburg Monarchy are trained the cannons of the Imperial Fleet, protecting the shipping lanes of the Windswept Cliffs, Hearthcourt and Dreadmond. The Vaarterburg has the largest airship fleet in the world, fueled by the Fountain Mounts of the Imperial Circle. From here, large quantities of [b][color=lightblue][i]Lux Anima[/i][/color][/b] are pulled from the depths of the Under Earth and processed to fuel the fleet.[/indent]

[b][center]Imperium Cities:[/center][/b]
[list]
[*][b]Windscar [/b]
Dozens of mining collectives make up the Windscar settlements on the outer edges of the Imperium. Great mining machines pull iron ore and ship them via airship to Dreadmond, for processing in the Imperial Forges. The people live in squalor, while the overseers and governor himself live a life of luxury. A handful of rebellions have shaken the Windscar settlements in recent decades, and Imperial rule is becoming more oppresive. 

[*][b]Dreadmond[/b]
The iron-clad fortresses and bastions of the industry tycoons crowd the mountain top known as Dreadmond. The great forges beneath the mountain spew fire and ash into the surrounding cloudscape, giving refuge to stalking pirates and brigands aboard their airships. 

[*][b]Hearthcourt[/b]
The Hearthcourt is home to the Imperium Elite, the nobility and the King and his family. Far below the Ivory Tower is the city proper, a soaring metropolis unrivaled in all the world. Goods from all across the world are traded here, for exorbitant prices.  
[/list]
[/hider]
[hider=Sibis]
[center][b][color=orangered][h3]Sibis, and the Eternal Well[/h3][/color][/b][/center]
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/eikRTdlm.jpg[/img][/center][hr]
[indent]The scholars of Sibis, who dwell in high Larsa, are keepers of the Eternal Well, a naturally occurring font of unchecked [b][color=lightblue][i]Lux Anima[/i][/color][/b] that spews forth from the earth. This well, the largest in the world has supplied fleets the world over. The scholars enjoy and maintain a neutrality in conflicts as they supply much of the worlds [b][color=lightblue][i]Lux Anima[/i][/color][/b]. The brevity of holy Bapha, the god of [b][color=lightblue][i]Lux Anima[/i][/color][/b], has lent some weight to avoiding conflict, as well as advancements in science refinement by Sibis scholars. It would be foolish to say that there are not those who covet the Eternal Well, however.[/indent] 

[center][b]The Sibisian Cities:[/b][/center]
[list]
[*][b]Larsa[/b] An outlying settlement and major trade hub. The city of Larsa is built atop a crumbling wreck of an ancient warmachine. Nothing here will grow and so Larsa relies on shipments of food from other cities. Vast tunnels beneath the city hold relics of an ancient time.

[*][b]Codex[/b] The eternal library where the knowledge gathered by the priests of Sibis is stored. The codex is built atop the Sepulcher Stone, a massive onyx column hundreds of feet wide and carved with the likeness of the thirteen elder gods. All but a few faces remain intact, the most pristine being [color=gold]Bapha[/color] the patron god of all of Sibis.

[*][b]Mideas[/b] The militant arm of the Sibisian Priesthood, here the fires of Mideas are kept ablaze, forging ammunition for the Sibisian Explorers and Traders. The high quality of ammunition and cannon-shot manufactured here is sought all over the world.  
[/list]
[/hider]

[hider=The Free Cities of Maleah]
[b][color=khaki]The Free Cities of Maleah[/color][/b]
A republic of trading captains, mercenaries and industry tycoons, Maleah is rich, but with a small fleet compared to the larger monarchies. They are arch-rivals of Vaarterburg, having rebelled against the king some 100 years prior, and continuous raids on the storehouses of the Monarch.  
[center][b]The Cities of Maleah:[/b][/center]
[list]
[*][b]Maleah[/b] The capital and namesake taken from one of the surviving onyx faces carved upon the Sibis Column. Meleah is believed to have been the diety of Wealth and Prosperity. A fitting name for such a prosperous city state. 
[*][b]Yigor[/b] The dense manufacturing columns of Yigor produce basic goods for much of the world. 

[*][b]Brunei[/b] Brunei lies along the border of The Imperium and was hotly contested during the war of rebellion. The shipyards of Brunei were built by the Imperium itself and produces some of the largest ships in the world outside of the Imperium. 
[/list]
[/hider]
[hider=Naramunz]
[b][color=mediumpurple]The Kingdom of Naramunz[/color][/b]
An ancient kingdom reaching back 1000 years. Home to the only surviving warships from the ancient era. Massive Fortress Ships that have been converted into permanent floating cities. Although controlling only a single Mount, Naramunz has a strong fleet steeped in pride and honor, and a tradition of ship-forging that rivals even the great Vaarterburg shipbuilders. 

[center][b]The Holdings of Naramunz:[/b][/center]
[list]
[*][b]Tethyk[/b]:
[*][b]Krasis[/b]
[*][b]Polder[/b]
[/list]
[/hider]

[hider=The Wilderness]

[b][color=forestgreen]The Lothelonni Wilds[/color][/b]
The wooded isles of Lothelonn are home to mysterious beasts that lurk in the mists and crawl up from the swirling gloom across landbridges to all parts of the world. These creatures are hunted for glory as much as their valuable hides. 
 
[center][b]Sanctuaries in the Wilderness:[/b][/center]
[list]
[*][b]The Shatter Rock[/b] 
[/list]
[/hider]
[h3]Playing The Game[/h3][hr]
The Lux Anima Chronicles is a turn-based game where you play an airship captain. You manage your ship, crew, goods, weapons and explore the world. Trading and fighting are two of the main parts of the game. Player written narratives in-between turn updates are a good way to help build the game lore and break the monotony of the numbers. [i]Yes, this game uses numbers.[/i] But not to worry, it's all basic math and not at all complicated. 

[hider=Playing WIP]
In the Lux Anima Chronicles, you take control of an Airship Captain hailing from the free cities of Meleah, on the borders of the Vaaertenburg Imperium. Less than 100 years ago, Meleah freed themselves from the shackles of Imperial Rule, and has quickly evolved into an economically and militarily strong nation-state. Although tensions still exist among the two nations, the Imperium is struggling to secure the valuable resource known as Anima!, a magical crystalline element used to power the massive airships that traverse the world. 

You can expect to trade and fight, explore and discover. Build or buy airships, and arm them with cannons and specialists with unique talents to give you an edge in your adventures. As the game progresses, your single airship may turn into a fleet, and eventually set yourself up as one of the rulers of Meleah. Invest in foreign ports and industry and have a hand in politics. As the game progresses, expanded rules will facilitate your rise to power.  

[u]Get Started[/u]
First you need a captain:
Meleans are known for their adventurous captains and yours is no exception. Choose a name for your captain and describe him/her if you wish. Choose 1 archetype from the following list:
(Pirate, Merchant, Soldier, Explorer, Scholar) 
[b]Pirate:[/b] Can board enemy ships and take them over
[b]Merchant:[/b] 15% better prices at foreign ports you have invested in. 
[b]Soldier:[/b] Your crewman gain a bonus to hand-to-hand combat. 
[b]Explorer:[/b] You've learned the best wind-routes and suffer no penalty for moving against the seasonal winds. 
[b]Scholar:[/b] Your access to the Sibisian Library has given you knowledge of the myriad artifacts to be discovered. (Chance for discovery of saleable artifacts increased 10%)

Buy a ship. (Ships and stats are listed below) Give it a name. Starter ships come with a full compliment of cannon and crew. 

Buy your goods. The ports of Meleah have a large number of basic and luxury goods to trade with neighboring cities. 

Set a course. Each turn you send me your orders via PM with your captains name and the name of your ship (or flagship) as the subject title. [/hider]
[/hider]

[hider=Player Ledger]
[i]A players ledger keeps track of vital information relating to your ship, captain and specialist, as well as crew, cargo, hull (how durable your ship is) and cannon.[/i] 
[b]Captain:[/b] [i]Choose a name and describe or use a small picture.[/i] 
[b]Archetype:[/b](Pirate, Merchant, Soldier, Explorer, Scholar)
[b]Gold:[/b] [i]How much money you have on hand to buy and sell. I'm keeping track too! :p[/i]
[b]Flagship:[/b] Name and type of flagship. 
WIP--->[b]Specialist[/b]: [i]Specialists can be hired in ports for 25g a cycle. The bounties board has information on which specialists are looking for work. Specialists allow you access to character archetypes (and those bonuses) other than your captains archetype. Example: Your captain is a pirate, but wants better deals on trading goods, so he hires a merchant specialist and pays him a salary of 25g per cycle.[/i] 
[i]NOTE:[/i] As your fleet expands, you will need to have a ship ledger for each ship in your armada.
[b]Crew:[/b] [i]Crew cost 1g per man (or woman!) per cycle. A full ships compliment will perform better. You may take on additional crew, but they must be quartered for an additional 1g per cycle (wages=2g total for crew over the max crew limit per ship) and take 1 cargo space per man over the crew limit of your ship.[/i] 
[b]Cannon:[/b] [i]How many and what kind of guns you have on board.[/i] 
[b]Cargo:[/b] [i]What your ship is carrying at the moment. Each class of vessel has a maximum cargo capacity.[/i] 

[hr]
[b]Orders[/b]
Each cycle you send your orders in the IC. Include your player ledger at the top of your orders. Include purchases, ship movement, hiring, refitting your ship and any special bounties you wish to pursue. In between turn updates, you are free to write IC narratives as you see fit. Give your captain some character!
[/hider]