[OOC] The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

[CollectorOfMyst]

@Lovejoy Well, something that came to mind was a sort of mineral that was harvested and then 'distilled' into a liquid form that could be injected directly into the bloodstream.

[shylarah]

@Lovejoy if there's a graduating "class" of under a hundred, it's entirely reasonable to know every last one of them by name, if not more than that. Since we're talking going on a mission together, we probably had a couple weeks' teambuilding before we ship out, as that's important for any team and the Inquisition doesn't seem like it'd field a team that didn't have some prep for working together.

[shylarah]

@CollectorOfMyst perhaps it's a healing drug, or a (banned?) derivative of ether extraction created as a sideproduct -- or even something used to help fighters who overdo it recover their ether?

[Lovejoy]

@shylarahYou make a good point. They would know of each other, and would have had cross-group training exercises during training, but their relationship wouldn't be as deep. Also, as for the couple weeks of teambuilding at the end of training, let's just say that the decision to send a class of recently ordained Inquisitors to El was a spur of the moment call by the Church and many didn't agree with it. Ordinarily, a team of recent graduates wouldn't have been sent immediately to a place like El, but something changed at the last minute. We actually got our orders three days after Culmination, so yeah, something feels weird about this mission and our characters would recognize it.

[shylarah]

@Lovejoy Huh. Innnteresting. *looks speculative*

In case you didn't see the comment I love your art. I'm a mouser too, so ^5

Can you tell us anything about Culmination, and what it entails?

[Scout]

@Lovejoy I'm on it. I know. Fucking work I swear to god.

I've been leaving home at 0630 and not getting home till 22, but I packed a laptop this time. Tonight it'll be finished

[deathbringer]

Can we get a roll call on the top of the character sheet section . Maybe a 0th post with name player identifying role in the group or something. Im starting to loose track of everyone as this thread moves pretty quick

[Lovejoy]

@deathbringer Done!

[Lovejoy]

@shylarahCulmination is the ordainment ceremony where pupils are officially "sworn in" as Inquisitors. It's kind of a complicated process, which I'll detail below.

On the Day of Culmination, after the graduation ceremony, the priests journey together to the Steps of the Red Shrine, the Divine Throne of Lord Varya, where He is said to reside. The Inquisitors then march up the steps, ascending the massive tower which rests at the base of the Shrine as a unified group. Upon reaching the summit, the titanic doors of the monolithic scarlet shrine await them.

The Inquisitors are forbidden from actually entering the Shrine, thus they kneel at its entrance, where they then commune with Lord Varya himself.

Now, this is what the Church calls it, but in actuality, no priest actually speaks to the Ravenous Lord directly. Instead, there, on those steps, they are contacted by an Aspect of Lord Varya. These aspects, or Angels, as the Church describes them, are divine beings who possess some measure of independence, but are bound to carry out His Will. These Aspects form a spiritual connection to each warband and act as their personal attachment to the Lord Varya, a "patron saint" of sorts. The Aspect watches over each Inquisitor of the band, and is said to lend them aid in times of crisis. Whether Lord Varya even notices the Inquisitors who kneel at His doorstep or even cares for their existence is unknown, but his Aspects are said to exist for the sole purpose of protecting and guiding an Inquisitorial warband in Lord Varya's stead, and is said to mold itself according to the spirits of each individual member.

The Aspects themselves have their own quirks and personalities, and it is known that its appearance changes depending on whomever glimpses it. Thus, one Inquisitor might see the Aspect as an ordinary plain-faced soldier, while another might see it as a demon. Others might not even glimpse the Aspect at all. This is all dependent on an Inquisitor's spirit, personality, and faith.

What an Inquisitor sees upon kneeling at the steps is a deeply personal experience, and they are not compelled to disclose it to the Church or anyone else if they don't wish to.

I'll write more about the patron saint of our warband soon enough. :)

[Drakey]

@Drakey Here's my interpretation of Rodion. I figured he'd go sleeveless when working on his machines, so he ended up looking like a blacksmith.

@Lovejoy

@Drakey Just for fun, have a comparison of Rodion and Ziotea.

@shylarah

These are both awesome, thx guys!

[Sisyphus]

I must say, whoever was in charge of training us to be loyal and devout did a very poor job of it. I think Stina is the only one that actually fits the bill - the rest of us are apathetic, agnostic or even closet rebels.

[Drakey]

@deathbringer

Rodion tries to avoid because she is scary, but her ether gives off a calming effect, as such Rodion doesn't mind having her around when he works as he is less likely to find himself getting upset or irritated.

[Drakey]

@Lovejoy
If anyone wants a glimpse into Rodion's head, then read this:

My Hider

Setting: Rodion's Workshop

Dull thuds could be heard, interspersed between quick metallic clangs. A thick, heavy smog obscured the room's ceiling. Tables, black and charred, Were placed randomly throughout the room. Random bits and pieces of machinery adorned the tables as elaborate schematics hung from the far wall. In the corner stood a large forge, white ether flowing through hot coals. To its right was a pile of coils, coils that circulated and heated the ether within. On the other side of the furnace stood an anvil, a variety of tools hanging on the wall behind it. Within the coals of the forge laid several bars of steel, all of which were cherry hot. Tongs in hand, a man, 6'2", stood at the anvil hammering out a piece of steel. Black goggles covered his eyes, blue swirls of ether faintly dancing at the corners. His hair, long, wavy and black, was tied back in a tail, letting sweat freely drip down the back of his neck. A close-fitting, black t-shirt sporting large, drenched areas covered his broad shoulders and muscular frame. Heavy black gloves covered his hands as they worked with the cherry hot steel. A black leather belt held deep blue jeans up at his hips, which moved with every swing of the hammer he took. Black boots, reaching just below the middle of his shins, were worn snugly on his feet. The man's lips were parted in severe concentration as sweat dripped down his forehead and face. No emotion, not a single one, could be seen on his face as he worked.

On the center table laid hundreds of pieces of steel, most of which were small and miniscule. Of the larger pieces, may were rings of steel of varying diameters. In fact, the piece that the man was working on seemed to be another ring, larger than all of the others. It happened to be an entire foot in diameter. Several pages of sprawling notes were placed haphazardly underneath the steel. The only thing that could be read clearly was 'Madrys'. Further along, on a table pushed up against the wall, were racks of vials. Ether, of varying degrees, was stored in all of them. White mostly, the same stuff that powered the forge. The gold, thick and almost luminescent, was held in all but one. Blue, electric and stormy, filled the last vial. The vial of blue ether, taken from the man's own blood, laid in the center of the table, sprawling notes underneath it. On another table stood what looked like a hollow globe, made of glass, with thousands of tiny pinholes in it. Another note was placed next to it that read 'Core'. On the other side of the room was another table, covered in grease, tools, and pieces of machinery. What looked like a bike, half finished, sat to one side while a metal wolf, large and wild, was on the other. The engine of the bike was taken apart and placed, systematically, on a tarp next to the bike. The wolf, on the other hand, had a gaping hole in the center of its back, just large enough to house a 1-foot wide sphere.

Rodion

Rodion hammered away, sweat dripping around his goggles with every swing. His breath, heavy and loud, escaped his lips in a set rhythm. He had been trying to focus on his work for the past thirty minutes, but Ziotea kept coming up. Rodion had already been forced to scrap five rings because of this. Taking a deeper-than-usual breath, Rodion's thoughts returned to an event from earlier that day. He had figured out, after several years, how to get Madrys' core to work correctly and had wanted to share it with Ziotea. However, when he found her, she was standing next to Stina. Rodion didn't have anything against the larger man, but for some reason Rodion's chest clenched in emotions when he saw this. His eyes, that had been slightly wider in excitement, quickly narrowed to just below their usual place. The back of his jaws clenched ever so slightly in frustration. Stopping in his tracks, Rodion turned back away and wandered. His thoughts were in turmoil. Why had he ran? Why had he been frustrated? What had gripped his heart? The questions kept coming, and they kept swirling within his head. Frustration captured his body and mind again, forcing him to move to its bidding.

Shaking his head, Rodion managed to clear his thoughts, the frustration retreating to the figurative box in his mind. He was breathing heavier now, sweat dripping from his face. His lips, pulled back slightly revealed a snarl, though to anyone but Ziotea it would look as if he was just trying to get more air in his lungs. Looking down at the tongs in his hands, they now held a mangled piece of steel, useless. It had been the sound from his hammer hitting the anvil itself that had roused Rodion from his thoughts. Sighing, Rodion threw the mangled piece of steel back underneath the bed of coals. Stepping away from the forge, Rodion took his gloves off, placing them on the closest table, which also housed a heavy, leather apron on it. Taking his goggles off of his eyes, Rodion let them fall down around his neck. Turning around to face the door, Rodion's eyes immediately found hers.

Ziotea was standing in the doorway, and god how Rodion hoped she hadn't seen him just now. His heart was immediately gripped in warring emotions of shame and longing. Her nearly golden eyes looked straight into the blue depths of his own. Her fiery hair, a color that he loved without knowing why, framed her slender face. Her skin, marred in places from old scars, was perfect in the mechanist's vision. His lips clenched together ever so slightly as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. Looking away, Rodion's eyes centered on the center table. Swallowing, Rodion went threw words in his head, trying to find something to say.

"I figured it out, Ziotea. I figured out how to get Madrys to work properly." Rodion looked up at his partner, his other half, his friend. Oh god how he hated having to use the word 'friend'. WHich only served to frighten him more because he didn't know why he hated that word when it came to Ziotea. A smile, small but attractive, crept into his lips as excitement overwhelmed his mind. He was talking to Ziotea about things that he had made, and things that he will make. These were the conversations he loved, and he tried to seek them out whenever he could.

Oh, and let me know what you guys think about it!

[ML]

I had this idea for an apprentice ark engineer, HOWEVER, with 11 people already in this, I'm hesitant to even write a character for it bc that is a nightmarish amount of people to have in rp at once

[Drakey]

@Mercenary Lord

Ark Engineer, Like someone on the steam arcs who keeps them working?

If you do make that character, I'm not entirely sure how Rodion would take you. Probably be buds cause machines and shit. But then again, who knows...

[Drakey]

@Lovejoy

Oh, you got it right with the picture. There is a reason why his last name Kuznetsov (not his birth name) means "blacksmith"

[ML]

wasnt sure if it was steam ark or arc, but yes, that was the general idea, maybe someone who thinks being an inquistor is cool, but didn't quite make the cut during the selection age

alternatively, a slightly older inquisitor who had something go catastrophically awry and was relegated to steam ark maintenance as punishment, or some other idea

there are ideas, but again unless lovejoy actively wants me to work on this I'm not gonna bloat the cast up any more, especially with someone who wouldnt know these guys very well at all

really i just want to hear someone say "NO, YOU CAN'T TOUCH THAT, YOU WILL DIE" or "Seriously if you try to lick that one more time"

[The Angry Goat]

I must say, whoever was in charge of training us to be loyal and devout did a very poor job of it. I think Stina is the only one that actually fits the bill - the rest of us are apathetic, agnostic or even closet rebels.

@Sisyphus

Damned heretical inquisitors and their care for talent over devotion

[The Angry Goat]

Oh also @Lovejoy i am not an angry piece of clothing :P (spelling error in zeroth post)

[Drakey]

<Snipped quote by Sisyphus>

Damned heretical inquisitors and their care for talent over devotion

@The Angry Goat

XD thank god talent goes before faith!!!!