[center] Join our discord~~ https://discord.gg/P7Rx4EU [img]https://i.imgur.com/sish3La.png[/img] [i][b]We can escape a dying earth, we can withstand an alien horde. But in the end, when power is dangled in front of a man and when a throne is vacated. The Dying of Man does not matter, and we fight each other more fiercely than any alien horde could ever muster.- Aiko Takeda, Daughter of President Takeda of the Takeda Corperation. [/b][/i] [/center] [center][b]___________________________________[u]PREMISE[/u]__________________________________________[/b][/center] Humanity made it to the stars, we transcended our homeworld and spread like only humans do. We spanned the galaxy, terraforming dead rocks, inhabiting and taming wild and alien worlds. We grew, we expanded, we harvested. Earth became a memory and then our home all but vanished from the collected conscious. We had no problem making new earths, new homes. Megapolis worlds and factory worlds. Minecrews working asteroid belts and interstellar jumpgates putting systems at hours distance. But even so, when humans spread and over large distances, they end up sowing the seeds of isolation and distrust among their own. And when distrust grow to outright animosity, humanity do what it always do. It wars with itself. For a while, this was kept at bay due to the first contact with a truly extraterrestrial species. The Eintri was a threat to all of humanity, and so we banded together. A legendary commander stepped up, and he was given full control of every companies private army, every planetary recruit and under his leadership we survived. We, humanity, briefly looked upon him as a sort of savior. Others, the more militant and more hungry for power saw him as the highest of aspirations. A lord who united all, to turn back the barbarian or in this case alien hordes. There was a term for those kind of leader who had survived the blending of language as humanity travelled the stars and cultures melded together. It was sei’i taishõgun. And all of them, from every corner of human space, wanted to be the next Shogun. And it is the nature of the human soul, to ever want more. To ever crave something we do not possess. Humanity, in its stretched out and constantly fractured state needed a leader to keep it from eating itself. So when that leader died?When there was no longer a brilliant Shogun around? There was suddenly a void left to be filled. And everyone with a claim, a ideal, a vision, rushed in like air out a spaceships hull breach. And so, humanity began to eat itself once more. The question has now been asked: Who will claim that title, who will seize the throat of the galaxy itself? The religious Tengi Sect, who had taken to worshipping the remains of a dead alien civilization? Or the fearsome Obucorp, whose contact with more peaceful aliens had given them a edge in technology. Or was it perhaps the IgaCorp, with their million eyes and ears and corporate assassins and spies. As lines are draw, factions have descended into a almost feudal mindset. Smaller company ceo or faction leaders follow one of the big mega corps and their leaders into battle like modern day samurai. In fact, while the elite corporate soldiers don exoskeletons and top of the line equipment, the indentured men and women drafted to fight for them go into battle with far less impressive gear. What we do know, is that a new era of war descends upon the human race. [center][i][b]Welcome to Sengoku Space Opera: [/b][/i][/center] [i][b]I stand upon the edge of all, overlooking nothing. Ruin at my back, ruin before me. They call me Demon, but I strive only to unite us. Only the strong may lead, only the cunning may rule, only the true of character may survive. President Nobunaga of Nobonaga Zaibatsu[/b][/i] This RP will see you take the role of masterless samurai, ninja, warrior monks or similair in a era of constant war. This of course, with the twist of it all taking part in the far far future, and the katanas and Yari you wield being energized crystal blade or monobladed. I aim to blend futurism and the typical tone of old samurai fiction with this. Expect some crazy anime level duels and samurai movie style battles. [center][i][b]Factions: [/b][/i][/center] With humanity fracturing and breaking at the seems, new borders and loyalties were drawn. The many corporations of the human reaches began fighting one another for resources and power. A lot of this fighting took place in courts and trough trade as well, and trough a shrewd combination of wet work, black ops teams, blackmail and good ol space capitalism, a few giants emerged. These Zaibatsus or Mega Corporations soon consolidated their very own territories. In many ways, they reflect the past feudal lords of old earth. Ruling with absolute power, where the Execs and CEO’s have taken the role of Lords while their security commanders and commodores live as privileged class, helping them rule over the working class. These regions and their rules would end up being split between a a few powerhouses. These factions do everything in their power to expand and subjugate and erase one another as the war grow ever more intense. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/0JZFqUd.png[/img][/center] [i][b]Saika Unions: [/b][/i] [hider=Saika Uninions] In the farthest, most remote regions you find the Saika Unions, a group of banded together mining corporations and merchants that found they did not like any of the mega corporations or their terms. They have amassed a rather impressive if a bit outdated fleet, and have adapted a very guerrilla like mindset when fighting of invading companies. [/hider] [b][i]Nobunaga-Zaibatsu:[/i][/b] [hider=The Nobuzai] Referred by common folk as the Obuzai, they are one of the true powerhouses of the war. A massive corperation with hundreds of smaller companies that all but spit out high end weaponry. Many of the other regions find themselves prey to incursions and strikes from the Nabunaga-Zaibatsu with their high tech “Rifle Class” ships and superior shock troops. Especially feared are the crimson armored “samurai” that have sworn to lay down their lives to protect the Zaibatsu leader, A man referred to only as “The Demon”. Its these crimson guardians that were first to set the trend of armed retainers and who made common folk refer to all such retainers as Samurai, like in in distant times, back when humanity was not blended beyond recognition and nations still existed on a earth that still glimmered like a amethyst in the vastness of space. [/hider] [b][i]Tenki-Ikki:[/i][/b] [hider=Tenki-Ikki] Found in the farthest reaches of human space lie the super sized battle station and home of the Tenki-Ikki, a sect that was founded upon the discovery of a still unknown alien race. The Tenki-Ikki have managed to acquire a large following, and their remote location makes them less desirable as a target. None the less, Obu-Zaibatsu has long tried to lay siege on their holdings, as they view the sects influence among the more common folk a dangerous and insidious thing. [/hider] [b][i]Minamoto Zaibatsu[/i][/b] [hider=MinaZai] The Minato Corporation is a family affair, and heralds from the man who first bestowed someone with a title of Shogun. They consider it a near divine mandate that they should shoulder the role as humanities great commander. They are a sizable and respectable faction, one of the four biggest ones and their fights with the Nobuzai have been bloody costly for both sides. They are stronger in numbers then Nobunaga, but their adversaries tactics and superior technology has evened out the battlefield between them. [/hider] [b][i]Tokugawa Corporation[/i][/b] [hider=TokuCorp] Allied with the NobuZai. The Tokugawa are a rising power, using their alliance with NobuZai to aquire equipment and and resources while amassing a formidable army on their own. Out of all the alliances the TokuCorp-NobuZai alliance is angling to be the most powerful of them all. They are loyal to their allies and together both Companies have grown and expanded aggressively. [/hider] [b][i]IgaCorp:[/i][/b] [hider=IgaCorp] The IgaCorp is shrouded in mystery and thrive in a climate were trust is hard to come by, and your friends and enemy all look very much the same. IgaCorp rose to prominence during the prelude to the Sengoku Era when the current Shogun were in need of en and women who could run point and infiltrate deep into enemy territory. There were two corporations that took to this task better then any, IgaCorp and Koga.Inc. Iga had long been known for somehow acquiring patents not their own, for closing deals where the competition suddenly went missing or pulled out. Everyone knew, that IgaCorp while not outwardly impressive, had more assassins and corperate hitmen then anyone. Infact, IgaCorps greatest export appeared to be high value elimitation, payed at a premium. [/hider] [b][i]Koga Inc:[/i][/b] [hider=Koga Inc] Where IgaCorp act as shadows within the affluent and protected sphere, where a nanostilleto is more needed then a gun, where synthetic poison is better then a samurai barging in the door. Koga share a similair yet different approach. KogaInc are experts in wetwork, sending teams of 3-4 men and women who infiltrate and sow disarray within even the most disciplined of ranks before perpetuating what is only described as small scale massacres. Where Iga is the boogyman for CEO and Company Presidents, Koga is the bane of samurai and conscript alike. Several attempts to eradicate the company has been made, legal actions as well as brute force assault on their small but well protected territory.And yet Koga remains. [/hider] [b][i]Takeda Corperation:[/i][/b] [hider=TakeCorp] The Takeda Corperation is known as one of the most tactical sound and possibly the only thing that stopped NobuZai from winning the war in its infancy. The Corperation prides itself on its super class gunboats that are so fast and maneuverable that they have been used to break trough formation at high speeds, getting to priority targets. Likewise, their Samurai favors lighter exosuit equipped with booster jets for short, blindingly fast charges into battle. [/hider] [b][i]Uesugi Conglomerate[/i][/b] [hider=Uesugi] The Uesegis Samurai some of the fiercest and most well thought of combatants of the new Sengoku Era. Owig their success and admiration from the way they practice and hone their skill, the Uesugi Samurai Corps are a force to be reckoned with. Just as NobuZai has become known for their blood red samurai, the Uesegis pure white armor can be recognized anywhere. There is word of a very specific Iron Samurai, piloted by the highest commander himself. This state of the art exosuit is believed to be entirely unstoppable and is reffered to as “The God of War” or Bishamonten. [/hider] [i][b]“The Date Dragons”[/b][/i] [hider=The Dragons] Like the Uesugi, the Date have a fierce reputation. But where the Uesagi are a large corperation with a honed but powerfull private army, The Date Dragons is a private army that happens to run a large company. One of the most feared of all Factions, the blue samurai of the Date favors hitting their enemy hard with numbers and fast, extremely mobile exosuits. [/hider] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/nxyJObC.png[/img][/center] [b]"What good is 10 ryu to a dead man Iso, get the guys cash and lets book it." Harleen Izawaga, Yakuza.[/b] [b]Humanity in the Post Earth era.[/b] [i]Cultural Melting Pot[/i]: Humanity have melded and mixed and formed new languages out of the old. The common language of the galaxy is a mix of many different dialects and languages. Some old words such as samurai and shogun has resurfaced to prominence but there is no reason to mix other languages in there. Even though the setting is inspired on the Sengoku era and we are going by japanese aesthetics, I don't expect all of you to play japanese looking people. This is the one setting where you can play a pasty white, european samurai and we won’t blink an eye. As I said, the galaxy harbors all kinds and humanity is a melting pot. [i]Society:[/i] With corporations taking the place of goverments and power more or less falling to near singular focal points, the world is now more or less divided into corperate territories that often are split into “vassal states” that are run by sister and daughter companies loyal to the main branch. It should be noted, while the system feels and operates a like feudalism, its entirely driven by profit. And as a result, many people end up as indentured servants and conscripts. Loans, regulatory debts and financial dependency are the chains which the corporations hold the people accountable with. The rich remain rich, and live life of indulgence while the Corporations maintain their status cue as long as they field samurai and ashigaru (Foot Soldiers) to aid in the war efforts. The living standards for the common folks is by no means abysmal, the average person may live a life of implied servitude, but living standards are reasonable high, luxury goods and entertainment is plenty. [i]The Rise of The Warrior Class:[/i] As you may have noticed, the samurai have pretty much made a comeback. Samurai are almost all from wealthy families, able to afford exosuits to outfit their sons and daughters. But there are cases of ashigaru who are elevated after heroic and exemplary service, NobuZai in particular is know for this practice. Two of their foremost commanders are people who risen in the ranks from virtually being considered nobodies. [i]The Underbelly of Society:[/i] With war and power comes corruption and crime. There is a lot of mercenary ronin and ashigaru about, who cant go into service for their own reasons. Instead they end up doing oddjobs and becoming enforcers for Oyabuns (Yakuza leaders). These men are more or less accepted by the powers to be, provided they keep the underbelly from getting to bold and to disruptive. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/K2XecGX.png[/img][/center] Humanity found that it was not alone among the stars. Over the years, The Eitreri ammassed a massive swarm of soldiers and ships in an attempt to subjugate and devour humanity. Others, Like the Avanti, is more interested in trading with us. [i][b]With a buzzing like a million angry flies, I saw them descend. The humming of a thusand starship engines all going into fullspeed as brave men and women engaged the alien horde. In the end, we didn't really win, we just stalled them enough so they lost to. - Isoef Landri, second in command of the 10th Nobuzai attack fleet, promoted to first of command after his predeccessor was eaten alive by Eitreri at the battle of Yomugai. [/b][/i] [i]Eitreri:[/i] Buglike and single minded, the Eitreri was a real threat to humanity when they first appeared. Their ships were lighly armed but much smaller in profile and far faster then ours. They would descent like swarms, obliterating unsuspecting targets and rout event the most battle tested of the corporate armadas. [i]Avanati:[/i] Humanoid and not entirely unpleasant to the eye, they are the one race to actually have members of their species live and mingle with humans. The Avanati have a long history of trade with some of the human corporations and Avanati engineers and weapon makers are very sought after. They find the human ingenuity driven mindset and quick adaptability extremely interesting. [i]Kieto:[/i] The Kieto have are a race of rather large, bipedal creatures while vaguely humanoid in shape, are largely silicone based, harboring a form of sentient energy within themselves. Their grasp of energy conservation and energy weaponry is unmatched but they guard their secrets very closely. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/A0eBZUE.png[/img][/center] [b][i]"We call it the Emperors Crystal. Because to rule as shogun, you needed the blessing of the Emperor, and so, you must possess enough of the Emperors crystal if you wish to be Shogun. -Ryu Tanaka. Head of RnD for the Tanaka Corperation.[/i][/b] [i]Occular Neuro Interface[/i] [b](ONI)[/b] [hider=ONI] The Oni is the means of which one interact with most advanced technology, be it a iron Samurai, ship or advanced optic camouflage. Every citizen is fitted with some sort of ONI, it integrates into everything in society. There is a backside however, several different occasions of ONI users going stark raving mad have popped up more frequently. And there is a rumor that something is using the ONI to jump brain to brain. Something bad. Something really, really bad. [/hider] [b]Exo-Suits/Iron Samurai: [/b] [hider=Iron Samurai] With the advent of space warfare and the return of more personal, close quarter fighting, the exo-suit became like a modern day knight or samurai armor. Expensive to maintain and own, not to mention illegal unless expressly given the go ahead, a exo-suit is a status symbol. The specs and size for a exo-suit or Iron Samurai vary, but they are without fail equipped with a energy blade for anti-Rai purposes and likely some form of Rai itself. [/hider] [i]Reflective Anti-Ballistic Inertia Shields[/i] [b](RAIS)[/b] [hider=RAI] One of the game changers in warfare was the RAIS systems, a personalized shield generator that could be shrunk to encompass a exosuit or supersized and put in a system to shield an entire battlecruiser. Of course, the technology is beyond expensive and not without it faults. A RAI shield works in such a way it projects a energy field of sorts. This energy shield is referred to as “Active Inertia” in that seemingly any projectile that hits the shield, has all its kinetic energy immediately dispersed and neutralized. [/hider] [b]Emperors Crystal and Monoblades[/b] [hider=Anti-Rai Weaponry] Due to the prevalence of Inertia Shields both on ships and in armor, there's a need for weapons of a different nature. Energy weapons were long the work of sci-fi, many have tested and made variations on everything from high energy beam weapons to mini-nukes. The problem with nuking a enemy combatant is that you need enriched uranium or similar, stored onboard the ship in the form of missiles. And while railgun barrages can weaken a RAIS eventually, its terribly inefficient energy wise. The best Anti-Rai ammunition was actually aquired from the Keito, salvaged from a Keito science vessle that had been destroyed by Eitreri. We found a ore with a very specific energy signature had been worked into the ships missiles and railgun slings. If the ore hit a inertia field, it would all but drill trough it. This crystal ore became commonly known as “The Emperor Crystal” as its the most valuable and rare mineral in all of human space. Due to its useful nature in combat, its almost exclusively used for ships as they are the most expensive to make and the worst to loose. The other exception being Samurai melee weapons. A “Emperor Blade” is the show of ultimate wealth and power. There is another kind of weapon employed for taking down Samurai and their RAI shields. The Monoblade. Monoblades work such that they have an exceptionally sharp and thin edge, down to the molecular level. Monoblades are far more brittle than a Emperors Blade, but is able to cut near anything with a properly executed swipe. [/hider] [b]Ballistic weapons:[/b] [hider=My Hider] Ballistic weapons still have their place, the average person does not posses a RAI or the weapon to deal with it. Ballistic weapons are more commonly used on planet rather than inside ships. Ship combat tend to not utilize any heavy guns as there are to many delicate systems that can and will be damaged. And when you are boarded, your guns wont do much to a Iron Samurai. [/hider] [b]Space Stations, Space Ships and Faster Then Light Travel[/b] [hider=My Hider] The new frontier cannot be reached without means of travel and this means the use of space ships. The different companies and conglomerate all have different design philosophy and specializations but two things are constant. The RAI system and the way one travel faster then light. FTL can only really be achieved from fixed points. Hyper Gates are a system of portal like stations that let you cross into a sort of galactic highway. Navigating such a highway is tricky and thus, you only really travel from gate to gate. You can use a gate to sling you at a set point without a gate, of course. But you better be damn sure you know where you will show up. Often, these gates are well guarded by fortress like space stations. [/hider] ----------- [b][color=6ecff6]Our Story Begins:[/color][/b] You, the players take the roles of various small time players in this era of strife. Wandering monks, lordless ronin or deserting, runaway ashigaru. Assassins who fallen out of favor with the corporation due to failed contracts. Whatever your path, you have congregated on Kaisen Station, right at the outskirts of Date Territory. Here our story will begin, as a event is about to change the course of the current struggle and put our fortunate few in a position to profit and make a name for ourselves. [color=bc8dbf][b]Character creation.[/b][/color] Some notes on character creation. While this game is freeform, I will have a little bit of game mechanics incorporated. These are pretty much entirely to help craft a personal narrative for all of you as I want to make sure to work with everyone to craft as good a story as possible. These narrative mechanics will be known your Origin. [i]They are as follows:[/i] [color=ed145b]Samurai/Ronin[/color]: Someone who was once a samurai is technically a Ronin. A Wandering samurai would be knowledgeable regarding various things such as duels, etiquette, combat strategy and similar things. The obvious downside is that a you would be without your Exo-Suit, as nobody would be allowed to roam freely with one of those. [color=fff200]Conscript/Ashigaru[/color]:The ashigaru are the footsoldiers, the ones not afforded fancy samurai armor and who are conscripted or pressured into service. Deserters are commonplace and many ashigaru live as low end mercenary for highest bidder. They would know about basic handlings of weapons, infantry tactics and have a much closer relationship and knowledge about what goes on and is spoken about the most among soldiers. [color=39b54a]Iga Shinobi[/color]: A former Iga shinobi, you likely found it easy to slip away. Your skills have lent themselves way to remain under the radar of your former employers. There might be that you are called upon to redeem yourself, the Iga always have use of a good field agent. Your knowledge lies in infiltration on a social plane. Disguises, sneaking, cracking security systems. There is no place you cant get inside. Not target to distant or heavily guarded. [color=f7941d]Kaga Shinobi:[/color] As a Kaga, your name and face is unknown, you lived a life as a shadow. Now, no longer affiliated, your skill set lends itself to the dirty work of people with money. Your skills lies within stealth and guerilla warfare. Of taking down targets quickly and silently, and to leave no trace. [color=00aeef]Commoner:[/color] All your skills are self taught. You never seen the halls of noble, never worked for any Yakuza syndicate. You have never been part of a sect or a cult. You would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been for your talents and will to carve a better life for yourself. [color=92278f]Yakuza: [/color] You are the lowlife of the world. You known only the hardships of the space station streets or the dirty offworld capitals. You have scrapped and conned, threatened and extorted your way trough life. A yakuza would know who to talk to on the street, know where to get things banned or illegal. And is handy in a less formal scrap. [color=ed1c24]Monk/Priestess:[/color] The many warrior monks and the many great priestesses who followed the old ways have pursued a way of enlightenment. They have an air of mysticism and wisdom about them as a result. But it has also spawned expert warrior who wield both fist and martial weapons such as the Naginata or Yari with ease. Monks would know about the various cults, sects and religions that span human space and can generally find lodgings and similar for free. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/DT3bFk9.png[/img] [color=f7941d][b][i]Charachter Sheet. [/i][/b][/color][/center] [b]Name:[/b] [b]Age:[/b] [b]Appearance:[/b] (No pictures from actual animes and mangas or games) A picture and a decent written description. [b]Origin: [/b](Samurai, Ashigaru, Commoner, Monk, Iga, Koga, Yakuza) [b]Former Faction:[/b] (What company did you serve/lived under its rule.) [b]Skills:[/b] (Pick I primary skill, two secondary. IE: Primary: Swordmanship, Secondary Stealth and Acrobatics. [b]Fighting Style:[/b] (Feel free to give it some fancy name. Describe in short detail how your charachter approaches combat. This is after all, a samurai flick in space) [b]Weapons:[/b] (Please provide a brief description of its appearence. This is essentially a samurai movie set in space, weapons tend to be a calling card.) [b]Motivation:[/b] What drives your charachter. Does he or she have a larger goal in mind, revenge? The retrieval of family heirlooms? [b]Backstory:[/b]