[center][h1]Blood Under Moonlight[/h1] [quote]It is the year 91 of the Age of Exodus. On the planet called Elysium, mankind has taken the next step into space. The discovery of Chrona on its moons in the last century has made possible the construction of extra-terrestrial habitats--and the colonization of the planet's satellites. We have seen the promise of a new home for mankind. On those bright lights in the sky, people are born and raised. And die. Thirteen months ago, the lunar colonies Ephyra and Athens formed the Lunar Alliance and launched a war of conquest against the rest of the Elysium sphere. Their aim was control of both the supply of Chrona and the natural resources of the planet itself. The intensity of the fighting in those first months came as a shock to everyone, and almost a third of the system's population was lost. Talks were held, and treaties were signed between the two sides to limit the destructiveness of future battles. Desperate for a new weapon that could turn the tide of the war without reducing the entire Elysium sphere to inhabitability, both the Lunar Alliance and the Elysium Board looked to walkers--humanoid robots made possible using the Chroma Effect, and employed in the harshest conditions for the mining of that valuable resource. Outfitted for war, these machines have various official designations. The soldiers who ride them into battle call them Myrmidons. You are an Elysium Defense Force soldier assigned to Myrmidon Task Force Xyston-02. Your mission is to strike deep behind enemy lines, halt the steady advance of the Lunar Alliance, and give the EDF the time it needs to turn the tide of the war. Between sorties, you will have for support the armed carrier [i]Phillip[/i] and its crew, as well as the cooperation of any EDF forces you might encounter. In the heat of battle, you will have only each other.[/quote][/center] [hider=Resolution System] [i]The mechanics here have been adapted from both[/i] Eidolon: Become Your Best Self 2E [i]and[/i] FATE Accelerated[i].[/i] [h3]BASICS[/h3] Each character has five stats, rated from 1 to 3. [list][*] [color=#dc424b][b]POWer[/b][/color] is brute force, of either arms or will [*] [color=#51bc7d][b]ELEgance[/b][/color] is graceful movement, pinpoint accuracy, and perfectly timed counters [*] [color=#009dd2][b]GENius[/b][/color] is computer-like analysis, anticipating the enemy's next move [*] [color=#f89846][b]COMradery[/b][/color] is inspiring friends, supporting allies, persuading enemies [*] [color=#ef5893][b]FLAsh[/b][/color] is the gift, the sixth sense, moments of inexplicable insight[/list] When your character does something where success is uncertain and failure would be interesting, I'll pick the stat which is most relevant and draw that number of cards from the play deck. You will pick one card which determines the success of your action; that card will be discarded, and the others will go to the bottom of the deck. When no cards remain in the deck, the discard pile is shuffled and becomes the play deck. The play deck consists of the 22 Major Arcana of the Rider–Waite Tarot. Each card has been assigned a [b]polarity[/b] and a [b]forecast[/b]. The [b]polarity[/b] of your chosen card determines the level of success:[list][*][color=#2a86d6][b]Positive[/b][/color] means you succeed and things go well. [*][color=#dbd05e][b]Neutral[/b][/color] means that you can still succeed, but there are complications. [*][color=#d6373c][b]Negative[/b][/color] means that things go badly for you--either you fail, or success comes at too high a price.[/list] The [b]forecast[/b] of the card helps further determine the nature of the result. Sometimes, this will have a major effect on the outcome; other times, it might not. [hider=Play Deck] [list] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]The Fool[/b] - Neutral - [i]You become who you are needed to be in this moment[/i][/color] [*] [color=#2a86d6][b]The Magician[/b] - Positive - [i]You achieve the impossible[/i][/color] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]The High Priestess[/b] - Neutral - [i]Intuition guides your actions[/i][/color] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]The Empress[/b] - Neutral - [i]You create something[/i][/color] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]The Emperor[/b] - Neutral - [i]You break something[/i][/color] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]The Hierophant[/b] - Neutral - [i]You discover something[/i][/color] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]The Lovers[/b] - Neutral - [i]You are faced with two paths[/i][/color] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]The Chariot[/b] - Neutral - [i]You exceed your own limits[/i][/color] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]Justice[/b] - Neutral - [i]The situation becomes more fair[/i][/color] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]The Hermit[/b] - Neutral - [i]Your actions isolate you[/i][/color] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]The Wheel of Fortune[/b] - Neutral - [i]You are at the mercy of the fates[/i][/color] [*] [color=#2a86d6][b]Strength[/b] - Positive - [i]You triumph through force[/i][/color] [*] [color=#d6373c][b]The Hanged Man[/b] - Negative - [i]You must make an impossible choice[/i][/color] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]Death[/b] - Neutral - [i]Something ends, and something else begins[/i][/color] [*] [color=#dbd05e][b]Temperance[/b] - Neutral - [i]You are met with an equal and opposite reaction[/i][/color] [*] [color=#d6373c][b]The Devil[/b] - Negative - [i]You get what you want at a price you can't afford[/i][/color] [*] [color=#d6373c][b]The Tower[/b] - Negative - [i]Something terrible happens[/i][/color] [*] [color=#2a86d6][b]The Star[/b] - Positive - [i]A new path reveals itself[/i][/color] [*] [color=#d6373c][b]The Moon[/b] - Negative - [i]Something unknown or unknowable interferes[/i][/color] [*] [color=#2a86d6][b]The Sun[/b] - Positive - [i]You are given cause to celebrate[/i][/color] [*] [color=#d6373c][b]Judgment[/b] - Negative - [i]Your past mistakes catch up to you[/i][/color] [*] [color=#2a86d6][b]The World[/b] - Positive - [i]For a single moment, the world bends to your will[/i][/color][/list][/hider][h3]Pushes[/h3] Pushes are a consumable resource players can earn by accepting negative consequences and spend to avoid them. Characters start each scenario with three Pushes. You can spend a push to:[list][*]Discard the entire spread and take the next card in the deck as your result. [*]Explain how one of your aspects helps you in this moment. Increase the polarity of your chosen card by one step.[/list] Pushes can be generated by:[list][*]Picking a negative card. [*]Picking a neutral card when a positive card is available. [*] Explaining how one of your aspects causes you to fail in this moment, and decreasing the polarity of your chosen card by one step. (Must choose a positive or neutral card for this.)[/list] [h3]Character Sheet[/h3] [hider='Blank' Sheet] [h3]Pilot Name[/h3] [b][u]Biography[/u][/b] [b]Age:[/b] [b]Gender:[/b] [b]Physical Description:[/b] [b]Backstory:[/b] [b][u]Stats[/u][/b] [i]Distribute the following values among your stats:[/i] 3, 2, 2, 1, 1 [list][*] [color=#dc424b][b]POWer:[/b][/color] [*] [color=#51bc7d][b]ELEgance:[/b][/color] [*] [color=#009dd2][b]GENius:[/b][/color] [*] [color=#f89846][b]COMradery:[/b][/color] [*] [color=#ef5893][b]FLAsh:[/b][/color] [/list] [b][u]Aspects[/u][/b] [b]High Concept:[/b] [i]A short phrase that sums up your character's whole deal.[/i] [b]Strength:[/b] [i]Briefly, something important about your character that works in their favor.[/i] [b]Weakness:[/b] [i]Reverse of the above; a important factor working against your character's goals, either internal or external.[/i] [h3]Myrmidon Name[/h3] [b]Description:[/b] [b][u]Aspects[/u][/b] [b]Strength:[/b] [i]Briefly describe the thing your machine is best at/designed for.[/i] [b]Weakness:[/b] [i]Reverse of the above--describe a design compromise or other drawback of your mech.[/i] [/hider] [hider=Example Character] [h3]Remy Greene[/h3] [b][u]Biography[/u][/b] [b]Age:[/b] 31 [b]Gender:[/b] M [b]Description:[/b] A tall, athletic, square-jawed man with broad shoulders, Remy looks like he stepped out of a recruiting poster for the EDF. His black hair has been cropped short, his rugged face is clean shaven, and he has the posture of someone with a steel rod instead of a spine. Ice-blue eyes move in that face like gun turrets, rarely showing any emotion except dedication to the mission. [b]Backstory:[/b] Remy joined the Elysium Defense Force almost as soon as it was founded; he was among those prescient souls who saw lunar aggression as a when, not an if. When the war did start, his family--parents, husband, and children--were killed in one of the first orbital strikes. His already notable zeal increased as he threw himself into his work, and for his sins, he was quickly elevated from his original non-commissioned rank to become a Lieutenant. With nothing else left in his life, he was almost eager to accept command of Xyston-02. He'll get payback for his family or die trying--and in the moments where he's most honest with himself, he admits that either outcome sounds pretty good. [b][u]Stats[/u][/b] [list][*] [color=#dc424b][b]POWer:[/b][/color] 3 [*] [color=#51bc7d][b]ELEgance:[/b][/color] 2 [*] [color=#009dd2][b]GENius:[/b][/color] 1 [*] [color=#f89846][b]COMradery:[/b][/color] 2 [*] [color=#ef5893][b]FLAsh:[/b][/color] 1 [/list] [b][u]Aspects[/u][/b] [b]High Concept:[/b] Unit commander with a death wish [b]Strength:[/b] Utterly dedicated to the cause [b]Weakness:[/b] Doesn't care if he lives or dies [h3]AW-323 "Pellato Custom"[/h3] [b]Description:[/b] The Pellato is a short machine, but wide enough that it is nearly square. Originally intended for combat in the confined quarters of a Chroma mine, it is heavily armored from the front, at the expense of its backside armoring, and mounts a pair of extra arms tipped in powerful crushing claws for close-range combat. Remy has customized his machine with the addition of two large beam cannons mounted on the sloping shoulder armor. Additionally, a fin has been mounted to the head module; where the head itself sits between the massive shoulders of the Myrmidon, this communication antenna pokes out, almost three times the height of the head. [b][u]Aspects[/u][/b] [b]Strength:[/b] Frontal assault in confined quarters [b]Weakness:[/b] Weak armor on the back [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Setting Info] [quote=Physical Details] [b]Elysium[/b] is an Earth-like planet orbited by three natural satellites, each roughly the size of our own moon. The three moons are called [b]Sisyphus[/b], [b]Theseus[/b], and [b]Orpheus[/b]. Each is home to a large, man-made colony that uses the Chroma Effect to generate artificial gravity and retain a breathable atmosphere. Inter-orbital travel is common, and travel times between the planet and the colonies are measured in days to weeks, depending on the relative position of each body.[/quote] [quote=Major Powers] The [b]Elysian Board[/b] is a transnational government coordinating the efforts of smaller nations on the planet, including the space program, trade policy with the lunar colonies, and the Defense Force. [b]Argo[/b] is the name of the lunar colony on Orpheus. It is a semi-independent member of the Elysian Board which has its own internal self-governance, but which supplies Elysium with Chroma and puts its military under their jurisdiction. [b]Ephyra[/b] is the colony on Sisyphus. It is nominally a democracy, but in practice its government has been captured by a plutocracy and is ruled by a President-for-life. [b]Athens[/b] is the colony on Theseus; it was formed as a constitutional monarchy, with a strong aristocracy.[/quote] [quote=Technology] [b]Chroma[/b] is a mineral found on all three moons of Elysium; it must be mined from the ground, and the areas where it is present are subject to dangerous, unpredictable gravitational effects. [b]Chroma Reactors[/b] use small amounts of Chroma to generate large amounts of electrical power. [b]Chroma Effect[/b] is the name for a particle wave given off by Chroma Reactors, which affects local gravity in different ways depending on how the reaction has been tuned. In large installations, such as on Elysium's lunar colonies, this enables practical artificial gravity. The reactors in walkers are tuned to produce a low-level antigravity effect that counteracts their weight and provides a level of protection for the pilot. [b]Walkers[/b] are large machines which were developed for mining Chroma in dangerous and hard-to-access areas. Made possible by the power generation and anti-gravity capabilities of the Chroma Reactor, they are vacuum-capable and generally humanoid in shape. [b]Myrmidons[/b] are walkers which have been adapted for combat, typically utilizing a mix of built-in and hand-held equipment.[/quote] [quote=Age of Exodus Timeline] [b]AE -42[/b] - Establishment of the Elysian Board, including a unified space program among the various nations of Elysium [b]AE 0[/b] - Founding of colony on Sisyphus [b]AE 11[/b] - Founding of colony on Theseus [b]AE 20[/b] - Founding of colony on Orpheus [b]AE 32[/b] - Sisyphus colony declares independence from Elysian Board; new government calls itself Ephyra [b]AE 35[/b] - Theseus colony declares independence, calling itself Athens [b]AE 61[/b] - Ephyra and Athens institute higher tariffs on the export of Chroma - Orpheus colony declares semi-independence, calling itself Argo [b]AE 83[/b] - Relations between Elysium, Ephyra, and Athens deteriorate; the latter cut off supply of Chroma to Elysium completely - Elysium Defense Force, Ephyran and Athenian armies founded [b]AE 90[/b] - June 15: Ephyra and Athens establish the Lunar Alliance and launch a surprise attack on the Elysian Defense Force's main headquarters - November 4: Both sides sign the November Treaty, outlawing the use of orbital strikes and munitions above a certain threshold [b]AE 91[/b] - July: Present Day [/quote] [/hider]