[center][h1][color=steelblue]These Dark Stars[/color][/h1][color=dimgray][i][b]A Feudal Space Roleplay[/b][/i][/color][/center][hr]
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/fzJpKqsl.jpg[/img][/center]

[center][color=gold][i][h3][sub]Alliance | Betrayal | Treaty | Sabotage[/sub][/h3][/i] [/color][/center] 
[center][i]It is the 12th Millennium since galactic pacification, the era of the Darkstar by the Imperial Calendar...[/i][/center]
[indent][indent][color=lightblue][i]You are a feudal Lord in service to the Emperor Reva Xem III. Long has the sword of the Imperial Arm hovered over your neck, long have you scraped at his feet for Imperial favor-more planets to add to your dominion, more weapons and ships. The era of the Darkstar is upon us, and certain Seers & Mystics have prophesied that the end of the Empire is at hand...Lords have risen to oppose the might of the Imperial Forces. Many more have condemned these flagrant and foolhardy traitors, either reaffirming their allegiance to House Xem or surreptitiously awaiting a more proper time to strike...  
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[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/8fqcN9Em.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][sub]The Divine Emperor Reva Xem III[/sub][/center]

[center][hider=Exiled][indent][indent][i][i]The halls of the Imperial Palace glistened with the blood of those men still loyal to his brother. Prince Reva Xem stepped cautiously over the bodies, limbs blackened by pulse-beams and severed by vibro-blades. He paused, drew his pistol and leveled it at the head of a still breathing man.[/i]

[i]"Oh, it's you,"[/i] said Xem. His brother lay prone on the marble floor. A perfectly circular hole had been opened in the chest of his flak jacket, and his crown lay a few feet from the dying man's body. 

[i]"Gods, I thought you would have fled dear brother. Really, I would have exiled you-Pity."[/i] Shaking his head, Xem fired his pistol and became Emperor of the Galaxy.[/i][/indent][/indent][/hider][/center]

[h3]Introduction[/h3][hr]
[indent]Welcome to [color=steelblue][b]These Dark Stars[/b][/color], an open-world role play set in the final centuries of an ancient, galaxy spanning empire. This role play is always open to new players. I am not seeking the role of 'GM' specifically as I want this to be more in the spirit of collaborative fiction writing. I only want to provide some background and setting information for players to use as they wish.  

[sub]Having said that, I will be playing the role of [b]Emperor Reva Xem III[/b] at the start of the game. If you are interested in taking over the role at some point, send me a PM.[/sub] 

If you wish to join, familiarize yourself with current lore and characters, read over the character sheet and start writing. I ask that you follow some simple rules so the role play can maintain some sort of order and make it easier for everyone to be on the same page. 
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[center][hider=Guidelines]
[list]
[*]Give other players an [noparse][@mention][/noparse] in your post when you wish to interact with them. Anything from sending diplomats to armed battlefleets should include a mention. That way players know when action is required to move the story forward. 
[*]You may not kill off characters without their owners' permission. Large scale battles should be resolved in the OOC first.
[*]New characters, races, technology etc. must be submitted in the main OOC thread first.
[*]New characters should keep their sheets brief. If you have ideas for lengthy character backgrounds, you should develop that information in your IC posts.   
[*]This list subject to update frequently so check back every once in a while. 
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[h3]Setting Info[/h3][hr]

[hider=The Imperial Hierarchy]

The Imperial Hierarchy has evolved over the centuries into a complex web of alliances and treaties among the planet-granted aristocracy. As the Emperor, Reva Xem technically 'owns' every single speck of matter in the galaxy, gifting planets to important individuals to provide his Empire with the resources it requires to function. The Lords provide military support and pay taxes to the Emperor in the form of raw materials and manufactured goods. 

The Emperor is also considered divine but tolerates religious freedom within his empire so long as it does not interfere with the politics of his divinity. Thousands of colloquial religions exist, each with their own pantheons and practices, but a tax is paid for every 'alternate' religious practitioner. 

The Lords are the key to the hierarchy in that they control the unruly masses directly. The commoners and peasants keep the factories churning out goods, work the asteroid-mines and provide the labor that allows such excessive aristocratic lifestyle. Slavery is only a small fraction of the labor within the empire and it is generally considered 'in bad taste' to have a slave labor force among nobility.

A certain xenophobia exists within the hierarchy as well, with non-human species often failing to secure important positions of power or amass any real amount of wealth. Thousands of alien species exist within the empire and [color=dimgray]you are free to invent alien species as you wish, but these should be secondary roles within the RP for now. [/color] 

The great Guilds of the Empire also have immense power in controlling FTL travel, certain powerful technologies like atomic weapons, and certain parts of the economy. Guild representatives can be found on almost every civilized world, and often work as mediators between Lord & Emperor. 

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[hider=Technology]

The scientific achievements of the empire are advanced to such a degree that to the common peasant, it appears as magic. To the learned bureaucrats and aristocracy, there is a scientific explanation for such technological marvels as FTL travel, biological enhancement and world-shattering weaponry. To the common man, it is all something to be feared.

[b]FTL Travel[/b]
FTL drives are restricted to only the largest vessels-capital class ships of 1,000 personnel or more that are heavily regulated by government regulations and require a Guild Sanctioned Pilot to navigate, without which, a ship could catastrophically collide with an object in space.  

[b]Weapons[/b]
Alongside iron or steel swords and axes in the hands of peasants and common soldiers are the weapons of the wealthy nobility. Most common are the vibrating shiver-blades that summons a beam of energy on command that burns with the heat of a thousand suns and can cut a man clean in two. More fearsome are atomic-darts which can disintegrate a man from a few paces away, or leave him in horrible radiation-induced agony from greater distances. Weapons in the Empire often sacrifice function for form, the more exotic or agony-inducing the more desirable the weapon becomes. 

Strange weapons exist too-
Like the void-spheres that simply make things vanish, or the [i]gnarlspear[/i], a staff with grinding, pinching gears that make things go [i]squish[/i]. [color=dimgray]Feel free to invent your own weapons and arms for your characters as the empire is filled with strange and exotic tools of carnage.[/color] 

Heavy weapons like those found on starships are expensive and space combat has evolved into short, deadly affairs often leaving a combatant ship powerless as the victor strips it for parts, or is boarded and taken as a prize of war. The time and cost of building a starship is daunting, even in the modern era of the Empire, and for that, destroying a starship completely is seen as insufferable incompetence or an act of hate-fueled revenge or rage.  

[color=dimgray]This is but a sampling of the technological achievements of the Empire, feel free to invent your own additions to canon tech.[/color]
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[hider=Economy]
A galactic feudal economy drives the empire. Labor is directly controlled by lords and ladies of noble houses, who swear fealty to the emperor in return for protection and emergency resources in an instance of crisis. Social mobility is almost non-existent and immigration between planets is basically unheard of. Most of the empires citizens will never leave their home planet, or travel much further than 50[sub]2[/sub] miles. 

Guilds play a large part in specialized labor, holding the secrets of certain manufacturing rights, and the workforce of specialized labor, especially in certain weapons systems, starship FTL drives, agriculture, bio-engineering, genetic manipulation, and others. 

Coinage in the empire varies from system to system, but the Imperial [i]lydian ingot[/i], an alloy of silver and gold is the official currency and is in near universal circulation.  
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[hider=Aliens]
Humans are the dominant species in the empire. Many of the subjects, peasants and commoners are of alien origin, or are biological or evolutionary offshoots of humans. You can invent alien species, but submit ideas in the OOC first.[/hider]
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[h3]Getting Started[/h3][hr]
[indent]You are a Lord in service or open-rebellion to the Emperor. You have entire planets at your control, servants and subjects. You have a starship capable of leaping across space and time in an instant. [i]Take care in crafting your character[/i] and always take into account what other players have written. Please no ridiculously barren 'WIP' sheets. Submit sheets in the OOC [s]for public ridicule[/s] before posting IC.[/indent]
[b]Note:[/b] You are free to invent other types of characters for this roleplay, but I suggest you start with a member of the aristocracy.

[hider=Sample Sheet]
Image
Name/Title:
Vignette: (optional) Write a short scene involving your character. It could show your characters flaws, ambitions, fears, hopes etc.
Appearance: Describe your physical appearance and emotional disposition [i]as other characters might perceive them[/i].
History: Keep it short. We don't need a life story at first. 

Home System: Every planet needs a sun. 
Capital Planet: Your home base of operations. Name and a short description is adequate.
Subjects: Describe the types of people or aliens that occupy your home system. 

Flagship:
Fleet:

Important Advisors or Other Characters:
[b]NOTE:[/b] Adjust the character sheet as needed. As you write and develop your character, go back and edit in relevant information. (Who knew you had a pet [i]Gaarlifongyx[/i] or a shiver-blade named for your first love?)
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