Alfhedil

Squad-based Sci-Fi military RP.

I'll show some interest.

What type of distant future are we talking about by the way? There is a huge difference between warhammer's version of the 41st millennium and the distant future provided in Firefly.

@Halvtand

Not overly familiar with Firefly's setting, so can't quite comment on that part for sure, but can say it's not as distant as the 41st millennium, nor as dark as 40K. Current year in the setting converted to AD is the year 7415, though most people in setting simply refer to it as the year 2415 of the Corporate Era.

Tech-wise we're looking at a lot of the staples of Sci-fi being present, though some less so than others due to past events in the setting. For example, Artificial Intelligence is banned within the major human faction and officially classified as a "moral threat". Cold Fusion is widely available, powering cities and small vehicles, with even civilians able to procure small-scale reactors for exoskeletons. Anti-matter is a bit less present, with the military keeping a monopoly on the use of what stable prototypes exist, but some civilian corporations do have them out in the field.

If you've got any other questions, feel free to ask. I actually rather enjoy answering questions about the setting when it comes to giving people a better idea as to what they'll be getting involved in.

Squad-based Sci-Fi military RP.

At the moment looking around for interested parties in an RP as stated in the title and tags. While a bulk of the RP is going to be worked on over the weekend depending on interest, the basics are that it will be focused on individual members of a corporate sponsored military kill-team investigating strange occurrences set in the distant future. Setting itself will have the backdrop of a rather large galactic war, though our story will be focused moreso on neutral powers. Character sheets will primarily focus on the people and skills, less so on who is equipped with what, as that I will be detailing out for each person on an individual basis.

I welcome any and all questions people may have, though will advise that since I work over the weekend I may not be able to answer them all immediately.

Setting information:

Neural Impulse Manifold

Used in everything from power-armor applications, to starship navigations, the Neural Impulse Manifold, or NIM is the innovation that evolved as a counter to computer-intelligences by UNISEC and their partner corporations. The age of induction to the NIM varies between corporations, with UNISEC troopers gaining their NIM-Jacks with their promotion into the Third Divisions, and Global Cortex plugging their pilots upon entrance into the academy.

NIM-Jacks work through a series of sockets drilled into the subject's body along key-points of the spine, and sometimes along the limbs as well. More advanced NIM-Jacks are plugged directly into the skull, tapping into the spinal-cord and brain-stem, with a rare few taking the chances involved with NIM-Jacks directly into lobes of the brain. However the NIM-Jacks are utilized, the first "Jacking" through a new port is always an experience of excruciating pain, as the signal fires along the Central Nervous System and back out the port in order to ensure functionality. Often times users are left drooling on the floor, their body spasming as the NIM integrates itself to the neural pathways of the user. More experienced users are generally more prepared, though nothing can truly prepare someone for the pain of every nerve-fiber being fired at once.

The nature of the Manifold changes depending on how it's accessed, and where the user is. Most users never actually "see" the Manifold itself, and only see the programs brought up by haptic relays. Those who do see the relays are mostly of the pilot class, with few others able to comprehend the infinite nature of the Manifold. Pilots see the Manifold in its purest form, that of absolute data. Within the spheres of corporate influence the Manifold is seen as vast monoliths of data, with the actual reality overlaid. Outside the influence of both the corporations and other advanced cultures, the Manifold is seen as chaotic noise, the nature of the Manifold exerting itself freely without established programs to dictate order.

Though the technology of NIM-Jacking has progressed significantly since introduced some thousands of years ago, there are still minor variables that have eluded the best of Third Helix and others. The scale of failure varies, with most of the failures simply dying on first hook-up. This is by far one of the worst malfunctions, as the user is locked in a state of constant nerve-fiber impulses, the NIM-Jack not able to recognize the signal it sent out and subjecting the user to a long and painful death. On rarer occasions, the user becomes locked within the Manifold, and can never leave its pathways. To one of these unfortunates, the world is only seen in flows of cascading data and targeting information, the relentless assault of infinite data breaking their mind

Carapace Armor

When being shot is in your daily planner, then it's time to get yourself a set of UNISEC Carapace armor. Layered with ceramic composites and given a gloss of heavy lacquer coating over the surface, the suit creates a multilayered defense against most infantry arms, capable of a wide variety of kinetic projectiles. The lacquer coating also enables the suit to maintain a resistance to energy weapons, providing a barrier that absorbs and redirects energy away from the point of contact. Because the suit uses non-metals in its construction, it maintains a lightweight and gives the user a higher degree of freedom of movement compared to hard-armor suits that provide similar protection.

In addition, the suit maintains a high degree of adaptability, allowing the user to equip a large selection of additional equipment to the suit and have it all fully integrated. This is due to the standard suite of electronics built in that connects to the user's nervous system via their NIM implants. Beyond the standard carapace armor, UNISEC also develops a more advanced version simply called the Advanced Carapace Armor, which features a much larger selection of additional equipment and many more features. Foremost among these features is the use of higher grade synthetic ceramics that provide a much more durable hard armor, as well as a more advanced lacquer coating that utilizes heat-treated titanium fibers to seal the layers together more firmly and allow for higher resistance to energy weapons.

Basic features of the ACA is a form of personal atmosphere system that integrates with the NIM and regulates the suit's internal atmosphere to adapt to the changing conditions outside and provide a greater degree of comfort for the user. This is further enhanced by the use of vacuum seals to separate the internal conditions of the suit from all outside modifiers and allow the user operate in conditions they normally would not be able to in standard carapace armor. In addition to these features, the ACA is hardened against EM attacks and features a screen against electronic interference, allowing the user to utilize chaff screens and not be negatively affected.

A feature used in nearly every Carapace Armor suit is the Gauntlet Logistics system, a modified vambrace that is synced to the UNISEC command-net. Using this system, any trooper can quickly, and accurately receive and act upon order as well as find their position on the planet. A trooper receives their first Gauntlet upon entrance into the Third Division and is expected to maintain it throughout their service.

- Carapace Armor Modifications -

One of the more common additions to the Carapace Armor is the Gravitic Thruster pack, a more advanced version of chemical jet-packs. The Gravitic Thruster pack works off an anti-gravitic drive motor that propels the user in a similar manner to hover vehicles. The limitations of this pack is that it is only able to provide substantial thrust closer to the ground, the effective range being 50m above the ground, and maximum thrust of up to 45mph. The pack is able to maintain speed at heights over the 50m effective range, but climb is limited, and danger to the user is increased.

Other modifications are the Vox-Caster system that is mounted into the pauldrons of the armor and utilized by Warrant Officers and other team leaders. The Vox-Caster system is a pair of speakers that greatly amplify the user's voice, and allows them to project commands a greater distance than normal. Also used in the pauldrons is the smoke-discharger, a system built into the pauldron that discharges banks of smoke to obscure the immediate vicinity.

The Carapace armor is also suitable for a number of weapon systems built into the armor. One of the more well known features is the wrist-mounted weapons, including the flame-dischargers, and SMGs. These weapons are of an auxiliary function, and are not intended to be used as main weapons, but as back-ups. The weapons can be enhanced to function as main-arms, in that belt-feed systems linked to a back mounted ammo-pack. Additional hardpoints can be built into the shoulders in the form of an auxiliary MLRS. The MLRS and Ammo-pack upgrades are incompatible with the Gravitic Thruster.

One of the features only available to Advanced Carapace Armor, is the ability to vacuum-seal the suit of armor and allow it to be used in space or in hazardous environments. This plugs into the advanced electronics suite built into the Advanced Carapace Armor, allowing the user to view their status on the Gauntlet monitor system, as well as allowing them to alter the interior atmosphere of their suit.

UNISEC Nomenclature

Having long ago exhausted conventional names, UNISEC has fallen to utilizing a serialized systems of acronyms and numbers. This has allowed them to greatly streamline their catalogs, and cuts through the confusion that other arms companies may bring to the table. All UNISEC items made fully within UNISEC contain the name of the company at the front of the serial, followed by what section it belongs in, and then where the item is located. First the sectional modifier is generally either Division Armaments or "DA" followed by a number, or Commercial Armaments. Then a series of three letters in the following modifier denotes it as either a weapon class, or with a series of two letters denoting it as a vehicle class. A three letter series will follow either weapon or vehicle class, with this series denoting what type of weapon or vehicle it is. The final series is a two digit number or, in rare cases, the letter 'x' followed by a number. The latter usually denotes an experimental item and requires a large degree of both caution and legal waivers before sold.

The only exception to the nomenclature remains within the UNISEC fleets, in which the battlegroup will follow the designation SS. After the battlegroup designation, there will be a space, then will follow the three letter or number series denoting what hull series the craft is classified as, followed by a two or three letter designation denoting what type of vessel it is. After the type of vessel has been clarified, the model number will follow which adheres to the standards of all other cases.

In example, the following identifier of "UNISEC-DA/36-IPW/MWS/x03" denotes it as first a product of UNISEC. The second batch code shows that it is part of Division Armaments, section 36. Finally, it is an infantry portable weapon identified as the Modular Weapon System, experimental series x03.

IPW: Infantry Portable Weapon
ISW: Infantry Support Weapon
MVW: Medium Vehicle Weapon
HVW: Heavy Vehicle Weapon
AAW: Artillery Weapon(Always vehicle mounted)
AVW: Aerial Vehicle Weapon
SSW: Starship Weapon

LV: Light Vehicle
MV: Medium Vehicle
HV: Heavy Vehicle
SA: Self-propelled Artillery
AV: Aerial Vehicle
SC: Strike-Craft

UNISEC Division Armaments

This is a list of a few items that is utilized by the military of the Pan-Solar Confederacy and in most cases openly available for sale.

- Projectiles -

Terran Federation Standard cartridge type 65
The single most common round used by UNISEC is the Terran Federation Standard cartridge(TFS65), a round slightly smaller than the .50 caliber round utilized by modern firearms, but larger and with greater velocity than the .45ACP round. The TFS65 is a full-metal jacket round, utilizing a brass casing with a steel tip. The steel tip is not actually a solid warhead, but contains a hollow, that when impacting a mass, crumples and blossoms open. This causes devastating damage to soft-tissue, causing wounds that are typically rendered untreatable in the field, with massive blood-loss typically claiming more victims than the internal damages. In terms of effectiveness against armor, it predictably has far less effect.

A variation of the TFS65 is the TFS65-AP, an armor-piercing variant that utilizes spent uranium as the tip of the shell. The spent uranium core was utilized due to its pyrophoric nature and the self-sharpening that enables it to penetrate armour more effectively than other materials utilized. It's a bit more expensive than the standard TFS65, but for its effectiveness against armour, and that it is still just as effective against infantry, it is easily one of the more effective rounds for small arms.

The TFS65-APHE round is similar to the TFS65-AP, in that it is an armor-piercing round, but it differs in its means of armor-piercing. The TFS65-APHE utilizes an explosive warhead, and a tungsten-carbide penetrator all encased in a jacket of copper. When the shell impacts an armored surface, the warhead detonates to create a path for the penetrator, allowing greater penetration into the armored surface. The downside to this is that rarely the armored surface is not dense enough to ignite the warhead, and the shell does penetrate. This makes it impractical against soft-targets, and when pricing comes into the equation makes it seem a poor choice when compared to the TFS65-AP.

Anti-Material Rifle Ammunition
When the TFS65 class of ammunition is not quite adequate, the .950 Excalibur round enters the picture. Utilized by the dedicated AMR of UNISEC, the Excalibur round is capable of excellent armor penetration from long ranges and still maintains optimal accuracy. The downside to this round is the excessive power of the round, in that the recoil has been known to shatter the shoulder of the firer if not properly braced.

Grenade Rounds
Another alternate ballistics round is the TFS19 family of grenade rounds. The most commonly utilized TFS19 shell is that of the standard fragmentation round, which detonates in a storm of molten shrapnel. Other rounds in this family include: Flares, Gas canisters, Flash-grenades, Incendiaries, Smoke, Air-Burst, and the Armor-Piercing round.

Energy Munitions
In early years UNISEC dabbled lightly in energy weapons and their possible applications in the field, but fell repeatedly short. This still holds true into the Corporate Era, however they have since relinquished their hold on military arms to Solexus Engineering in that regard. Foremost among their products is a universal cold-fusion energy cell which powers all of their small arms. The Type-18 power cell is a long lasting energy source that can almost indefinitely power standard laser weapons, give particle weapons a lifetime spanning multiple wars and even sometimes stabilize plasma weapons. Functionality depends entirely upon the weapon, though regulators can be modified to increase power throughput with relatively little difficulty.

Rail-Rifle Munitions
When discussing UNISEC firearms, one cannot overlook the 8mm Rail-Rifle cartridge, a projectile specifically designed to be fired from a rail-rifle platform such as the UNISEC-DA/00-IPW/MWS/16. The cartridge is a highly advanced ballistics round that can be electronically programmed by the firing platform to detonate at predesignated points in time, or when a certain density has been reached. Though not quite capable as the TFS65 in terms of kinetic stopping power, the standard 8mm cartridge's ability detonate inside targets makes it much more dangerous, enabling it to literally blow off limbs. The 8mm also comes in a shaped uranium round, meant for armor-piercing and typically used in assault-rifle versions of the rail-rifle.

Shotgun Shells
Used by the UNISEC-DA/00-IPW/NSS/01, the TF12 family of shotgun shells is a highly effective range of ammunition available to the common consumer and hardened veteran alike. The most commonly utilized round is that of the TF12/R, the shell being filled with vulcanized rubber shot so as to avoid puncturing the interior of a starship.

- Infantry Arms -

UNISEC-DA/00-IPW/LBR/338
The UNISEC Long-Barreled Rifle is the standard in conventional ballistics weapons. Chambering the standardized TFS65 round and capable of freely switching between single-fire and burst-fire, the LBR remains close to its ancestors as a Battle-Rifle. Its rail systems along the sides of the barrel allow it to freely utilize a majority of the weapon modifications UNISEC has developed, with many LBRs sold with popular add-ons for reduced price.

UNISEC-DA/00-IPW/SBR/56
The Short-Barreled Rifle is, at heart, a modified LBR that has been engineered to operate in close-quarters and in a more specialist role. The shorter barrel contains an inbuilt suppressor system, that when combined with the TFS65-Subsonic rounds, enable it to be near silent when fired. Though its effective range is half that of its predecessor, the SBR remains a popular choice among both Third Division troopers, as well as valued customers. The SBR also maintains the same rail system utilized by the LBR, though it cannot adapt to some of the larger modifications.

UNISEC-DA/00-IPW/NSS/54
One of the more robust weapons utilized by UNISEC is the Naval-Security Shotgun, a superb example of a hardy, all-weather weapons platform that can excel in nearly any battlefield. It's stainless-steel construction, and gas-operated locked-breech design make it not only sturdy, but also gives it very little recoil for the caliber of shot it fires. Standard NSS' fires vulcanized-rubber shot from an eight-round magazine or a 32-round drum-mag. The standard shot is made of vulcanized-rubber, due to the lethality to organic targets, without excessive damage to the interior of starship corridors. The NSS can also chamber any of the variety of shells available, with anti-armor, and incendiary shot just two of many.

UNISEC-DA/00-IPW/AMR/38
When you want to reach out and touch someone in a meaningful way, there's always the UNISEC Anti-Material Rifle. Built with internal recoil-compensators to provide a more stable firing platform, the AMR gives off little recoil despite the .950 Excalibur round it fires. The AMR comes stock with two separate barrels, one of which is integrally suppressed and has a muzzle-brake at the end, the other with standard rifling. The weapon is typically used in an anti-armor role, though its accuracy at 2,000 yards lends itself well to more conventional sniper duties.

UNISEC-DA/00-IPW/LGL/73
Devised as a way to bring the firepower of a heavy weapon to the hands of the standard infantryman, the Light Grenade-Launcher is a highly portable reusable launcher system that has been universally accepted within the Third Divisions. Its success can be tied easily with the design of the weapon, taking many cues from the design of their rifles, and giving the soldier inherent familiarity with the weapon through this. The weapon comes with a rangefinder built-into the top rail, making it unable to be modified in the same way as other weapons, though the rangefinder is well accepted as more than adequate. Accepting all forms of the TFS19 grenade round, the LGL/73 can adapt to nearly any situation with the right ammo, and it's gas-operated firing system enabling it to have nearly zero recoil.

UNISEC-DA/00-IPW/LAW/67
The Light-Anti-Tank weapon is a shoulder fired, fire-and-forget missile launcher designed to keep a soldier on the move, while enabling the common infantryman the ability to take down heavy armor. The sighting system for the weapon utilizes a range of options for tracking, one of the more efficient methods being that of "painting" the target with an ultraviolet tag. The tag sends a beacon to the warhead, which keeps the missile on target until contact. With a variety of warheads to choose from, the LAW is a potent weapon of war.

UNISEC-DA/00-IPW/LMG/358
True to the name, the LMG/358 is a light machine gun purpose built to provide a squad-support role without the need for a heavy-weapons team. The newest mainline iteration of the weapon features a greater focus on minimal moving parts and electronic firing systems, as well as integration with the Gauntlet to allow the user far more control. With such features and a reliance on lightweight 4.7mm caseless ammunition, it is easily able to maintain a stable RoF of 800 rounds/min on fully automatic.

UNISEC-DA/00-IPW/CW/76
The CW/76 or "Concussion Weapon" is not actually one singular item, but instead a broad family of melee weapons for close combat. Ranging from six-inch knives to hundred-pound mauls, the universal trait is that of a powerful energy field surrounding the striking surface powered by an energy cell in the handle or Gauntlet. How the weapon functions upon impact is determined by switching the field between "sustained" or "pulse". In sustained field mode, the field will hold integrity and become a cutting surface. When used with slicing or thrusting weapons, this gives the edge far greater penetration power against materials it would normally glance off, but will impart significant heat on contact when applied to blunt instruments. With mauls, clubs or hammers it is instead best to use the pulse function where it will immediately discharge the field violently on impact.

Solexus Engineering Type-26c Plasma Discharger*
One of the first functionally reliable Plasma weapon designs, the Type-26c has seen extensive use within the Third Division as a squad-support weapon when dealing with entrenched enemies. Under the primary firing mode, it projects a superheated stream of material up to 30 meters and at temperatures upwards of 2800°C in the air with a deviance of 2-300°C upon contact. The material will then adhere to the surface and continue burning until it exhausts itself. Secondary fire for the Type-26c launches spheres that spontaneously combust and is primarily used for ranged anti-tank roles due to the extreme temperatures.

Character Sheet

Name:(Full name of character)
Age:(For this one, put the biological age first, and then the actual age in brackets next to it. Depending on rank within the corporations, people are able to afford genetic therapy to effectively reverse the aging process to a certain point each time. Those higher up can afford to better therapy that allows them to become younger and continue using the process for repeated visits.)
Gender:(Pretty self-explanatory)
Corporation:(On board the Yoshino are three corporations: UNISEC(military), Third Helix Foundation(medical/biology), and Solexus Engineering(Physics/engineering))
Rank:(UNISEC mostly follows a mix of UK/US military rankings for Third and Second Divisions, while THF/SE generally just denotes personnel by department and who leads them.)

Psychological profile:(Generally speaking, the character's personality.)
Educational Background:(Early history of the character, generally before the age of eighteen when they would have been employed by one of the corporations. Most of the time this will match what corporation the character is with currently, though that is not always the case.)
Service Record(UNISEC)/Employment History(non-UNISEC):(This would be the more immediate history area, of the character's adult life. If the character is freshly recruited into one of the corporations, such as being a junior medical officer for THF, then this is not necessary and can be included above. For military operations, take into account that in setting there is currently a civil war of sorts ongoing, so there is plenty of opportunity for combat actions in the service record.)
Combat Training(UNISEC)/Work Skills(non-UNISEC):(Simply put, what skills your character has at their disposal. These should reflect on rank, in that better trained personnel will generally have higher ranks in their chosen company unless something in their history or psych profile makes them unqualified.)
Equipment:(Leave blank.)

The OOC

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Decided to at the very least make my presence known once more, and post up my WiP.

Arisawa Sena - The Diminutive Yokai

Arisawa Sena
"Moral Support"

Speech Color: Undecided at the moment, but I'll likely use two forms during IC in order to differentiate between spoken languages.

Character Alignment: True Neutral

Sena is a free spirit, and not beholden to either side of the hero or villain spectrum, instead tending to look towards her companions and going off their interactions. This leaves her entirely flexible in terms of who she interacts with and lends her minimal talents to. She does tend to lean more towards benevolence as per her religious beliefs, but that does not mean that she would not ally with a villain who befriends her. In fact, it would mean that she would be more prone to helping them especially when as a neutral observer she sees a hero trying to take them down without understanding the pretext.

Character Personality:

Sena is very little if not honest, having a very particular set of ideals and morals that she holds to regardless of what may be thrown in her face and always keeping an optimistic attitude. That optimism is her defining attribute, an iron-bound will to see the bright side of everything and never let the circumstances tell her she can't do what she sets her mind to. With that confidence her morals of honesty, integrity, altruism and kindness have rarely wavered, even when she has found plenty reason to go against them. Her idealism is as much a flaw as it is her rock, her belief that everyone is good at heart and anyone can be redeemed no matter how far they have fallen may eventually be her downfall. Beyond that, she is an incredibly forward and outgoing individual, thinking nothing of striking up conversation with someone she has just met and offering friendship.

Appearance

Appearance:

Casting a youthful and bright image from first sight, Arisawa Sena is an open book when it comes to her dress and appearance, as well as her mannerisms. Foremost is her selection of kimonos, all of which feature bright and vibrant colors with flowering patterns all across the silk fabric. She is most likely to be found wearing one in particular that remains her favorite, especially in her current circumstances. Made by hand centuries ago by both herself and her mother, the silk fabric bears an ever shifting mural of flowering chrysanthemums towards the bottom of the dress, leading into a flurry of petals that form the night sky and full moon upon her back. The backing of the pattern is a regal purple that fades in hue from bottom to top and is trimmed in silvered filigree stitching a flowering vine pattern along the hem. Of course, since it is silk and weaved through long outdated methods, it is quite delicate and likely to serve very poorly as a defensive measure.

Age: 16
Hair: Waist-length jet-black hair.
Eyes: Distinctly golden in color, with flecks of silver and gold throughout the iris.
Height: 4'6"
Weight: *slap*

At first glance, she seems almost human, with her lithe body and alabaster skin seemingly free of any blemishes and almost pampered. It's only when one gets closer that the silvery sheen begins to be more noticeable, and the elfin ears more prominent.

History

Born to the main branch of the Arisawa clan during the Heian period, Sena enjoyed life as a noble for many years until the day everything changed for not only herself, but her entire clan. Her early life was relatively easy-going, a childhood full of blissful days with friends and family, nights of stories with her grandmother, and the many lessons from her mother on how to be a proper lady. These years were what shaped her the most, in that she never truly experienced the world beyond the walls of her family's holdings. Defensive training was a game to her, even with how serious her instructor was, but even as conflict became more and more common throughout the region, she never saw it for herself.

The few things she could grasp of the outside world and the people beyond it, were in the few paintings she saw and the visitors that came to pray at her family's shrine. Such times were always her favorites, as she loved taking the time to talk to those who had traveled often enough from across the island, just to pay homage to the deity. More often than not, she would find herself being picked up by her guardian Katsu, and brought back to the family quarters all the while smiling and waving at the confused visitors. Despite being lectured by her mother on the folly of her actions, the young girl never could understand the need for caution when it came to outsiders, as she had only her family and the surrounding village in terms of daily interaction. That was until her teen years, when she had come of age and the elders of the clan had chosen her to be the heir to the clan.

For her entire life up to that point, she had thought that the world ended beyond the horizon, and that everyone was like her and her family. A sheltered life had raised her into a naive woman, ignorant of the perils of the outside world, one that she was to be introduced to quite rapidly as the heir to the Arisawa clan. Before that however, Sena endured a year of rituals and spiritual guidance from the elders, most of which she has no memory of yet intrinsically changed her in ways she couldn't understand. Then at the eve of her sixteenth birthday, her mother Shizune told her of the Eternal Path, and the role she would play for their clan.

Powers and Abilities

Hero Type: Mystic

Power Level:

At this stage of her life she would most likely fall under the street level category, as she is far from capable in terms of combat, and her healing abilities are quite limited. Once the seals on her mind and body are broken however, the upper limits of her abilities are quite beyond that, and could be reaching into world levels. That all depends entirely on how she grows as a person in the interim, and how she attains those powers.

Origin of Powers:

Once just one of many, Sena is the last of a bloodline that lasted a thousand years before being wiped out by a rival clan in order to retain control over the imperial crown. Her family originated from a group of humans living within the forests at the foot of Mt. Yotei, many just simple farmers doing the best they could to work the land and feed their homes, but others devout worshippers of the spirits living atop the mountain. These spirits had long existed in the Hokkaido region, as well as throughout other lands, but that mountain in particular had been a nexus of sorts for them, a place to find their center and freely interact with the mortal realm. The Arisawa clan, as the people who had been living in the region for centuries already, were often those who interacted most with the Yokai.

While the Yokai themselves were a rather broad group of spirits, many rather ambivalent towards mankind if not hostile, those of Yotei in particular enjoyed the company of mortals, so much that it was not uncommon for intermingling. Eventually the practice became common enough that the largest clan among them chose to formalize a union between them and the Arisawa, so long as the humans and their descendants continued to safeguard the mountain. As time went on, the powers of the Yokai became more and more prevalent among their mortal progeny, leading to the clan becoming almost entirely composed of half-humans by the time of the rise of the first Emperor of Japan.

Knowing that other clans in the region were beginning to fear the increasing number of magically gifted individuals among them, Arisawa Sakuya made an appeal to the imperial family. In exchange for yearly tribute to the Emperor, in not only material goods but also spiritual advisors, the Arisawa were granted protected status within the lands under the premise of their supposed connection with the Kami Konohanasakuya-Hime. This accord allowed their clan to continue living in peace under Imperial rule until the mid-Heian period when they vanished without a trace, and nearly all records of their existence lost to the vagaries of time.

- Powers -

The Jade Mantle:
The most prominent of her powers is the one that is always present and active, the aura that surrounds her and subtly acts on the minds of those around her. Anyone subject to psionic, telepathic or other powers which factor in willpower find themselves inexplicably just a little more pleased with life and optimistic. Her aura literally radiates her own joy for life and suffuses those around her to lift their spirits and push back dark thoughts for as long as she remains in their presence. She is, however, completely unaware of this power, and unable to control it, as it is her subconscious mind tapping into metaphysical energies and exerting force on the world around her. The range of the power is 30 meters under normal circumstances, and effects linger for roughly 24 hours on normal human minds, though those with mental training may see either diminished impact or be completely unaffected altogether. More importantly, it is her attitude that directly affects the power. Should her mood shift, the emotions radiating from her may see a drastic shift in alignment, as well as the strength of the aura.

The Shroud of Dreams:
Perhaps her most powerful gift, is the one that has been passed down her family line from generation to generation to the first born daughter of the main branch. The origins of the Shroud were forgotten even during her time, but it had long been suggested that it was a way to ensure that there was always an heir of the family and a way to keep the bloodline alive. It is a two-part power that both draws passively on the mystical energies of the aether, and in very particular circumstances will directly activate pre-arranged channels for a sudden surge of energy. Passively, it keeps the holder in a state of slightly enhanced regeneration, allowing them to mend their body easier after injury, fight off disease and halt the aging process of cells. It was that latter ability that gave the matriarchs of her clan the moniker of "The Eternal Empress". Actively, the Shroud only comes into play during the most dire circumstances when her life is in immediate danger. When a killing blow is about to be struck, a series of channels within her mind open and allow a surge of aetherial energy to suffuse her body, creating an instantaneous barrier. This barrier however, is not intended to shield her body from the attacker, but rather from intense temporal forces. Before the blow can connect, she is hurled forward in time at significant force to emerge in a completely different era, and possibly even a completely different place. The Shroud is not without significant cost however, for the trauma of being suddenly ripped from normal space and time is great even with a barrier, and will always leave the holder severely exhausted both mentally and physically as well as bodily injured. Once recovered, she must also renew the channels to the aether that were burned out from the force of energy, this done over a short period of time through ritualized prayer to her yokai ancestors and her clan's patron Kami.

- Abilities -

Strength Level: Subpar
Speed/Reaction Timing Level: Normal Human
Endurance at MAXIMUM Effort: Normal Human
Agility: Normal Human
Intelligence: Slightly above average
Fighting Skill: Minimal defensive training

Resources: Her endless optimism and winning personality.

Weaknesses:

Sena, for all of her abilities and charming personality, is not a fighter in the slightest. Even with self-defense training from her youth, she is simply no match one on one with anyone of decent skill, and the best she can do is delay them until an ally can arrive to assist her. Any kind of offensive skills she has are also locked behind mental barriers and physical seals, requiring unique circumstances to trigger them, and usually leaving her on the sidelines in any real engagement. Her near-uselessness in combat is not her only hindrance, for her personality while endearing to some, can be her most dire weakness. She's incredibly naive to the workings of the modern world, has an idealistic outlook on life and people in general, and all it would really take is for someone to buddy up to her and she would believe them in a heartbeat for their word. In fact, her only flaw worse than that is that she can't speak a word of English.

Sample Post

"What is he like, mother? Is he nice?"

The woman sighed heavily, glancing over at her younger daughter and wondering just how she would fare once in the world beyond.

"I'm sure he is, Sena." Her mother held the same expression she always had when talking about the outside world, the one that foretold a lecture over staying cautious and thinking every action through carefully. She wanted more than that though, indeed she yearned for it, to know of everything the world had to offer and venture out just like her uncle Katsu often did. All her life had been spent behind wood and paper walls, only rarely getting to speak to travelers. Granted, such occasions had almost always been interrupted by Katsu, but she didn't hold anything against him for it, since he often used such times to tell her stories of his latest journey.

Katsu wasn't here tonight however, it was just her and her mother Shizune walking along the deck of the main home in the moonlight. "My dearest daughter, you know the importance of this arrangement as I have striven to teach you as much as I could of the dangers beyond our walls. You are young and unlearned of the evils of mortal man." There was the lecture, just as she had expected. Too many times had she heard her mother talk about how dangerous the travelers were and the people beyond the horizon. She was just as human as they were, it shouldn't matter that their ears looked different, or that her eyes were the color they were. Yet to mother and Katsu, the round-eared people only thought of her clan as below them.

How strange it was that it was her own family that locked her away and kept the outside world hidden while claiming to be protecting her. After all, how could she truly be in danger from something that knew nothing about her. "Sena, please dear pay attention." The woman's fingers snapped in front of her face, bringing her to realize that she had let her mind wander a little too much in that instance. "When Katsu comes back in the morning, you will need to be ready to leave with him. I thought you were eager to see the world beyond our walls? Have you had second thoughts on this arrangement?"

"I am eager, mother, and I already have everything packed into baskets as you instructed. It's just… I didn't really expect this to be the way I would see the lands beyond home." Sena went quiet for a moment, looking up at the moon and to the countryside beyond. "Can't you tell me anything about Lord Ira? I know how important this is for our clan, that the Fujiwara don't like us for some reason and this will work towards bringing us closer together, but what if he doesn't like me?"

It was clearly not the question her mother was expecting, but it was one that was weighing on her quite a bit even though she doubted much about the supposed ways of the outsiders. She knew nothing about Fujiwara Ira, except that in less than a month they were to be married in order to establish ties between the clans. Such an action that she had agreed upon, though with some insistence from her grandmother. There was a very real fear that she would travel all the way to Kyoto only to find that he desired a more learned woman, or one who was taller. Katsu was partially responsible for that latter fear, as he had often lightly mocked her for her stature and spoken of the geisha with their shapely forms. He wasn't here though, so her mother couldn't quite berate him for more irresponsible stories.

"Darling, you are a woman and have been shown how to behave properly as one. All of your lessons over the years have been towards ensuring that one day you would be able to act as matriarch of the clan one day, but also as the ideal wife to the man who would find your side. Do not fret over such things without-"

Shizune's words faltered as a commotion arose on the outskirts of the village and small lights flickered on the horizon. "Mother, what are those lights?" Her question was quickly answered by the unexpected entrance of her guardian Katsu, looking much like he had run all the way from Kyoto in one night. "Both of you, to the shrine. Now." The tone he used shocked them both, and just then both women noticed that his sword was drawn and already bloodied. Danger had come to them, and the fires in the night no longer seemed as distant as they were.

I'll work some more on it over the week and as I do some more research on things, but do keep in mind my writing speed is glacial :<

STAR WARS: Bounty Hunters [Closed down]

Guild has been fucking me the last couple days while trying to log on and check posts, and I see that I missed the boat on making cheeky droid comments. Oh well lol. I'll try to get things working tomorrow and get a post, perhaps move towards working alongside someone. If anyone is interested, shoot a message and we can work out a more stable communication platform since guild has been so unstable.

STAR WARS: Bounty Hunters [Closed down]

Hooray for application errors. Thought for a moment my post didn't send and was going to just piss off and do something else for the day. He may not be the first or most enthused to work for the Empire, but Mercy has a way of making his own entrance.

STAR WARS: Bounty Hunters [Closed down]

Without Mercy

Slowly drifting in from the drop-point, the fighter took its time heading towards the star destroyer confident that this was the mark. The pilot took a glance over at the side of the cockpit where a series of marks had been made in the durasteel, each one scored with a small binary code. "Pull up the list of personnel once more." His voice was mechanical, synthesized through a series of assumed nuances and a pool of sixty-five human males of an average age and across the known galaxy. For this moment, his dialect hinted at upper-corellian reminiscent of one of the aristocratic families and likely drawn from one of them seeking to make a little more credits than they deserved.

Within a moment, the R4 unit ahead of him in the socket of the ARC-170 had fed the data into the wire connecting with his arm, transferring the full packet and letting him peruse it fully in an instant. Through a reflex of his past, the bounty-hunter/assassin had decided to do a bit of ground work on who he was to be working for before making his way to the meeting point, but it was not for the same reason others would. For those it would be a matter of seeing if they were worthy enough of their services, a bit of pride in their own skills and wanting to make sure of the qualifications. No, for him it was different. This was personal, and it was almost a disappointment when none of the faces of the crew matched with the records he had kept of that one incident.

"Dump the records and send the docking packet to the Avenger's hangar control." Not having a personal target on board made things a little easier for the mechanical mercenary, and immediately there was less interest in trying to outdo whatever other scum might have also answered the call. That was not to say that he cared nothing for whatever mission the Imperials had that couldn't be taken care of with massed blaster-fire. A thought in particular hung on him while they docked, feeling the soft impact of the landing gear hitting the plate deck and Rustbucket deciding to take their leave of the fighter. If something couldn't be taken care of by simply throwing stormtroopers at it, then what kind of problems were the Imperials having?

The thought would have to wait, it seemed that he was not the first to arrive by far, and the officer approaching looked a bit haggard as one would after dealing with the scum of the galaxy. As the hatch came up, so did blasters around the fighter and Mercy couldn't help but have a laugh to himself as he kept his form hidden beneath the folds of the robes he wore. "So eager to fight and die, but now is not the time for you vat-born." His mechanical voice dispelled the assumption that he was the one of those few rogue Jedi left roaming the galaxy, and the hood falling to reveal his metal face and orange ocular units slowly began to instill the fear and confusion he so loved.

"You must be one of the ones the Admiral has been expecting..." He left the sentence hang for a moment, almost expecting him to finish it for him. That would be done, but first a certain astromech was not falling in line as it should. Mercy turned swiftly and brought a metal fist down hard on the top of the R4 unit, stunning it momentarily and reinforcing who was the dominant one. "HK-133/5 and that's all you need to know." The assassin droid said simply, waiting for the R4 unit to come around in front of him before lightly climbing up into a sitting position on the dome of the droid despite that the action cause the central unit to dip a little lower to the ground. Staring the officer directly in the eyes, he gave a tap to the side of the droid and headed off towards the conference room via astromech droid.

Of course, with no other route to go it would be a short moment before the door slide open and the struggling R4 came to a stop at the side of the table so that it appeared as if Mercy was seated. A cursory glance gave him all he needed to know about those around him, and what he didn't know he would pull from the archives of other bounty-hunters his droid kept on him. Wookie, human, rodian, another human, another rodian... A Kaleesh? If Mercy could smile, it would be a grin of sadistic pleasure from the cast of characters who had answered the call of the Empire.

STAR WARS: Bounty Hunters [Closed down]

Been a little sparse on time lately, but I went and adjusted Mercy's starship to one that was more appropriate to the timeframe of the setting, and would actually be rather beneficial to one with an astromech slave companion.

STAR WARS: Bounty Hunters [Closed down]

Cool, I figured that was the case, keeping them in character as best as possible.

STAR WARS: Bounty Hunters [Closed down]

@Heat What's your policy on controlling mooks like random officers or stormtroopers on the ship? As long as they're not named it's cool, or would prefer to minimize it as best as possible?

Fade: Space NRP-RPG fusion

The only other comparison I can think up right now is the Ottomans.

@Darkspleen