[Center][img]https://i.ibb.co/JcW9Rvr/Soldiers-overlooking-ugly-ruins.jpg[/img][/Center] [center][hider=Overture BGM: Scythian - The Laws] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DCsuW9zArg[/youtube] [/hider][/center] [Center][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/190100-the-envenomed/ic][b]IC IS UP[/b][/url][/Center] [center][hider=Lore Document][url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1txr-A6J_dz0L9-davCwTeGrBYkHf6pkraAwCJC0dADg/edit?usp=sharing]Google Drive Link[/url][/hider][/center] [Center][url=https://discord.gg/QvTCsKE4zG][h2]Discord[/h2][/url][/Center] [Center][i][h3]It is 4237 and in the wake of a brutal three and a half year war across the stars, once again only empires remain standing... Decadent and prideful atop the ruins of their enemies or crumbling and recoiling from the creeping spectre of obsolence.[/h3][/i][/Center] A fitting summary for what is known as the [b]Reckoning Of Empires[/b]. A vast expanse of worlds shattered, forged, and arisen from the aftermath of their brutality serves as a testament to the very cost of their existence. A cost offloaded onto their subjects and those who struggle amidst a new paradigm of interstellar power. Gouged husks of former glory and burgeoning wealth of captured territories that span across systems define this age of ambiguity. Yet the course of empire creates the mechanisms for its destruction and the cost to be paid is steep and bloody. From the wreckage of fallen worlds cast off of or revolted against prior masters, the [b]Intranszjednota[/b] or simply the [b][b]Intransigence[/b][/b] has arisen as a revolutionary power uniting disparate worlds across the post-imperial spaces. A hegemon forged from the growing contradiction of imperial might, its roots lay in the years leading up to the Reckoning yet as its enemies slaughtered one another, it grew in power and now stands as a formidable entity on the inter-solar stage. [Center][img]https://i.ibb.co/VSgLzhC/SOLDIERS-IN-FRONT-OF-AIRCRAFT-mark-kolobaev-34.jpg[/img][/Center] Amidst the wreckage of fallen worlds and teshattered dreams, you have been summoned to serve as their hidden knife against unsuspecting throats. Among your number insurgents, guerillas, rogue militants, pirates, mercenaries, even the defectors of empires - an unsightly morass of the dishonorable, scattered to the wind by the tides of upheaval and war. Now collected in the hand of the Intransigence, they form a network of hit-squads and deniable operation forces, answering through a fragmented network of communicators to the hidden powers of revolutionary leadership. As the technocratic [b]Black City Conglomerate[/b], the corporate-expansionist [b]Unified Celestial League[/b], and the aging [b]Yrrkradian Empire[/b] heat up their power games, the Intransigence is caught amidst their scheming powers. Yet they are not aware of the envenomed blade grasped in its hands, of which you are now the spearhead and now plunging head first into their hearts. [Center][b] In a line of work fraught with conspiracy, subterfuge, betrayal, and shifting tides of allegiance, you are the living embodiment of a hidden war. [/b][/Center] [hr] [Center][h1]Rules and Expectations[/h1][/Center] [hider=Expand] [img]https://i.ibb.co/sPTS33s/INSURGENTS-IN-THE-WOODS-CP9r-AUOD-wallha-com.jpg[/img] [b]The Envenomed[/b] is a military sci-fi roleplay focusing on a select team of "inconvenient" people who "don't actually exist" (on paper) sent in to do the dirty work of a revolutionary alliance. Your enemies - the Black City Conglomerate, Unified Celestial League, and the Yrrkradian Empire - may not be on the same but they definitely are not on yours. You will not necessarily directly combat them as much as mostly you will engage their various proxies whether against aligned-yet-indpeendent planet-states, state-supplied terrorist groups, contracted mercenary groups, and covert operation units of their own. Yes, there is a "magical" element in a sense, similar to Warhammer 40000 and Mass Effect though it is understood frequently through a more scientific or even occult lens. More importantly, this RP will feature quite a bit of graphic death and injury on top of grotesque mutations, intrusive biotechnology, flesh-meets-metal cybernetics, and so on. This is your only warning on the subject. Unsurprisingly this is a very combat heavy roleplay and the first mission will toss you into the fire fairly quickly. There will be moments of (optional) stealth, interaction with other Envenomed teams, and potentially more low-key sections but whether or not we may have them will depend on your input. I am aiming for characters who have had either in the Reckening Of Empires or the various civil wars, insurgencies, or proxy conflicts that emerged since. Experience in both is also fine. The war lasted from 4229 to 4233, with various smaller conflicts happening in the four years since. It is not required your characters necessarily have a military background but I will ask that your character have a number of "secrets" or unpleasant, illicit, atrocious, or otherwise very "inconvenient" parts of their history that could be considered compromising material. Maybe they want to redeem themselves, maybe they're in it for hatred of the enemy, maybe they're genuine believers in the cause, or maybe they don't have a choice. After the first mission, you will be given a private vessel with its own crew and have the liberty of choosing your own missions. There is a central over-arching plotline and you will be able to wildly change the course of both the story and in-setting history based on your actions. This roleplay will demand fairly literate, complex writing both from myself and from you. There will be a good deal of detail and I advise anyone joining to be both very careful around said details whether to be wary of or to exploit in-character. I am aiming for one to two posts per week though I can make exceptions and allow for turn-skips, even joint posts, if circumstances demand it. After enough people join, I will put up a thread for the lore to which anyone who is interested can contribute. If there's anything that potentially clashes with lore let me know and we can work something out. The setting will be fairly far future with a semi-grounded aesthetic, not full on total pulpiness but not "realist" either. However I am fairly open to a variety of sci-fi aesthetics - ideas and inspiraitons from settings as diverse as Halo, Titanfall/Apex Legends, Gears of War, Warhammer 40000, Starship Troopers (the animated iterations), Half Life, Tribes, and so on are allowed. [/hider] [hider=Character Sheet Outline] [center][img]https://i.ibb.co/LPLGM9j/tin-soldiers-last-stand-by-kwibl-d7izjmg.png[/img][/center] [u][b]Name:[/b][/u] (Include nicknames as well. Your character may have a new identity to stay low; include their "new name" and their original one if so.) [u][b]Age: [/b][/u](Those recruited for this covert action group are at least 20) [u][b]Species:[/b][/u] (Other than human, there are a variety of alien species, of which you can create your own. Robotic, biosynthetic, and other "artificial" forms of life are also allowed). [u][b]Appearance:[/b][/u] (Describe how they look and/or use reference images to do so). [u][b] Background:[/b][/u] (How did your character end up working for a deniable black ops group? What lead them to this point in life? How were they involved the Reckoning Of Empires and its aftermath, even the events that lead up to that if possible?) [u][b]Character Evaluation:[/b][/u] (How does your character typically act, behave, and otherwise go around their daily lives? What do they believe in and what do they feel towards this line of work they find themselve sin?) [u][b]Skills:[/b][/u] (What is your character good at doing? Engineering, reconnaissance, infiltration, leadership, piloting - things that it makes sense for one to have given their Background but don't be afraid to throw in few curveballs to spice things up.) [u][b] Etherealism:[/b][/u] (OPTIONAL part of your character sheet. Is your character capable of manipulating the unearthly currents of the Abyssal Chasm? How does this typically manifest? What are its limitations?) [u][b] Loadout:[/b][/u] (What armor, weaponry, equipment, and so on is your character carrying? You do not need to list *every* single piece of equipment as things like spare ammo, medkits, flashlights, personal communication devices, and so on are fairly ubiquitous. The "signature" items you are equipped with however should be fleshed out especially if they will see prominent or notable use throughout their deployments.) [u][b]Actions Of Interest:[/b][/u] (What are some controversial things your character has done in the past that stain their history? Do note that after you finish your sheet, I will ask that you directly message me at least ONE particular unpleasant thing your character has done in the past that they do not want becoming public knowledge. Perhaps you committed an atrocity, deserted your allies, fought alongside some sketchy people, were associated with *another* black ops unit, and so on - something you keep close to your heart and don't talk about unless you absolutely have to.) [/hider]