Flagg

[Advanced] The Fall of an Empire: Space Opera NRP

Not Flagg, obviously, but your faction doesn't need all of their ships to be bigger than 3km. They just need the "home" ship(s) to be big. Escorts and such don't need to be that big. My two cents.

@Pepperm1nts

@ClocktowerEchos: ^Basically that.

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@Rhymer Fantastic, love it so far.

[Advanced] The Fall of an Empire: Space Opera NRP

Thrilled to see all this interest and interesting ideas. I'm going to wait until two or three NSes are in progress before designing a faction of my own.

[Advanced] The Fall of an Empire: Space Opera NRP

Here's a question, since you stated that this Arcturan Empire was Human could I possibly play a nation with control of Earth and the systems around earth?

@MetalLover

I'd rather keep earth out of it, if that's ok.

[Advanced] The Fall of an Empire: Space Opera NRP

Very messy and lazily put together OOC: roleplayerguild.com/topics/89797-advan..

[Advanced] The Fall of an Empire: Space Opera NRP

The Fall of an Empire

You say it is the good cause that hallows even war? I tell you: it is the good war that hallows every cause.
-Nietzsche



It is the Imperial Year 3468. The Arcturan Empire, once the greatest power the galaxy had ever seen and the pride of human kind, is crumbling. Almata, for millenia the seat of Emperors, has been sacked by the Pretender Fleet. His Majesty Fashti XI is missing, presumed to have been killed in the fighting. A new dark age looms over the galaxy.

Hello and welcome!

the idea here is for a character-driven NRP set in a far-future, low fantasy 'fall of Rome' type scenario, in which a powerful galactic empire is crumbling under the pressure of civil war and perhaps external invasion. The tone will be that of a gothic space opera, borrowing more from Dune, 40K, the good star wars films, and cyberpunk than from say, Star Trek or hard SF. Magic, psionics, etc are allowed in this RP, but should be a somewhat muted presence.

My hope is that since players will be rping as factions of a crumbling empire, or former rivals or subjects to that empire, a major focus of the RP will be building a shared setting and history. I am intentionally leaving details about the Arcturan Empire and the conflict relatively sparse, so that people can fill in their own factions and histories and build the setting collaboratively. Below are a few suggested factions in the civil war, that people may want to use as inspiration for their nation sheets.

Please note that everything below is just meant as an inspiration. Names and ideas are thrown out as starting points for folks to run with. I do not have definite plans for anything mentioned below. In terms of lore, we're going to go with a first-come, first serve system, so that as people establish details about the Empire etc in their faction sheets, and once I approve it, the setting and details will get fleshed out.

Faction Suggestions:

LOYALISTS: Those still loyal to the old order and to Emperor Fashti XI before the Sack of Almata, which was a massive defeat for the loyalist forces. The Arcturan Empire was a humano-centric, caste-based, militarized autocracy governed by a vast bureaucracy torn between meritocratic reforms and an entrenched aristocracy. Xenos races were in most places treated as slaves or at best as second class citizens. It was the First Emperor who, millenia ago, brought an end to the House Wars and subjugated the xenos empires. Loyalists will cherish the millennia of peace and order the line of Emperors wrought out of galactic chaos.

PRETENDERS: Upstarts seeking the title of Emperor for their leader. Pretenders could be anything from ambitious generals, admirals or warlords to Utopian revolutionaries to neofascists tired of the inefficiency and sclerosis of the old order. Given the humano-centrism of the Empire, a (genocidal?) monohumanist element blaming the xenos for Imperial weakness is likely to be present among many of the Pretenders.

REACTIONARIES: Aristocrats and conservatives of the ancient, pre-Imperial Great Houses who see opportunity in the present chaos to win back their ancient rights and prerogatives from the power of the Imperial Bureaucracy. The reactionaries likely recognize their economic dependence on the xenos races, and so would look with suspicion on monohumanist radicals or xenos liberation fronts.

CHURCH: The Arcturan Empire tolerated many religions, but the official creed of state was the Cult of Kaasid, which exerted considerable power throughout the Empire.

SEPARATISTS: Xenos liberation fronts, corporations or Great Houses wishing to be free of the Imperial yoke, client states seizing a chance to break free from the collapsing empire, religious dissidents, etc.

INVADERS/ASTROGOTHS: Factions from outside the Empire taking advantage of its current crises. In fact, an external invasion may have precipitated the current civil war.

Faction Sheet:

Faction Name:

Faction Type: (Loyalist, Pretender, etc)

Faction leader(s):

System(s)/Territory: (Please be aware that as faction sheets get completed, they may need to be tweaked to fit with other players' faction sheets, since everyone is playing as parts of the same [collapsing] super-state)

Planet(s)/Holdings: (btwn 1-5 systems if your faction controls any, unlimited [within reason] other holdings like asteroid bases, etc)

Faction/Government Desc:

History: (Feel free to make up details about the setting and the major powers. I love collaborative worldbuilding, so feel free to work with me and your fellow RPers at building the setting)

Relations with the Empire and Other Factions: (this section is super important, please work with other players to work out shared history, etc)

Military Capabilities: (ships in faction fleets must be under 3 kilometers, though I will allow exceptions. Please keep in mind that militaries are likely to be parts of the old imperial military, and so some commonality between factions is to be expected. As for ground forces, no hard limits here. The Rule of Cool and the Rule of No Effing Godmodding obtain)

Note: Please stick your NSes (even WIP NSes) in the character tab with NOT ACCEPTED at the top until I accept. Also, this RP will begin just after the Sack of Almata by one of the pretenders.

NOTE:

Important announcement- real life issues have just come up in a big way. I'm not sure that I will be able to devote the time and energy necessary here to be a successful GM. If anyone would like to take over this RP, please let me know, you're more than welcome to it. I'll be more than happy to help get things started with this, but I just can no longer GM properly.

My apologies to everyone involved, I had thought I would have sufficient time for this, but circumstances have changed for me (not in a bad way).

[Advanced] The Fall of an Empire: Space Opera NRP

Glad to see all the interest, will have an OOC thread up tonight!

[Advanced] The Fall of an Empire: Space Opera NRP

No light,
but rather darkness visible

Milton, Paradise Lost

He stood on the balcony of the Imperial Apartments, watching through the shimmering veil of energy shields as his capital burned.

Though noon, it was dark here, the sky blackened by a pall of smoke and ash. Firestorms born of the Pretender's orbital bombardment swept through the Financial District, turning skyscrapers into pillars of crimson flame. Advertisements and loyalist propaganda still scrolled, absurdly, in neon rivers down the sides of buildings still untouched by the fires.

The crack of lasfire and the scream of missiles echoed through the stately avenues of the Palace Outworks as the enemy took street after street from the crumbling loyalist defense, slowly closing the noose around him.

As though he would run. As though there was anywhere left to go.

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Hello!

My idea is for a character-driven NRP set in a far-future, low fantasy 'fall of Rome' type scenario, in which a powerful galactic empire is crumbling under the pressure of civil war and perhaps external invasion. The tone would be that of a gothic space opera, borrowing more from Dune, 40K, the good star wars films, and cyberpunk than from say, Star Trek or hard SF.

My hope is that since players will be rping as factions of a crumbling empire, or former rivals or subjects to that empire, a major focus of the RP will be building a shared setting and history.

Any takers?

OOC: roleplayerguild.com/topics/89797-advan..

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

@Atrophy that was one of the best portrayals of individual character voice and realistic dialogue I've seen on the Guild. Major kudos to you!

@Flagg I think Nyxvira may have to get in contact with Kurtz at some point. He seems like her kind of classy villain.

@Kingfisher

Villain?! I dunno what gave you that impression. He's only killed bad guys and bargained for the release of thralls so far- he strikes me as nice guy ;) Also, I would love to work on something with Nyx. Let me know what you have in mind.

@Atrophy I just want to second what Kingfisher said. Fantastic post.

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

Please allow me to introduce myself...

-Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil

Last Night

Quickly, far too quickly, the roof under his feet was running out. The edge loomed closer.

Haggerty's heightened senses could smell the man- no, whatever he was, he wasn't a man- chasing him. Flowery cologne, just barely masking the reek of spoiled meat.

The roof ran out. Haggerty leapt.

Streets and alleys yawned out below him like dimly lit canyons, and for a delirious moment Haggerty spun and took in the city around him. High rises with windows blazing. Cars like ants crawling along Delerth Avenue. The Y train clattering down elevated tracks. The moon full and orange, glaring down at Santa Somabra like the eye of an angry titan or god.

Then he crashed through the skylight of the building opposite. He landed hard on a wooden floor, planks crunching beneath him.

A woman screamed, there were gasps and murmurs.

Haggerty looked around. Apparently he had interrupted a dinner party. Seven of them, well dressed. Nice apartment, richly appointed. There was a woman next to him struggling to her feet, covered in glass from the shattered skylight, covered in blood.

The Urge hit Haggerty hard. A gusher, so close. How could he not? A man rushed over to help the woman up. Haggerty paused. He knew he needed to run. He knew what was chasing him. But...

Haggerty lunged at the woman, shoving aside the man who had come to her aid. The rest of the humans ran, some shrieking, some dialing frantically on their phones.

Haggerty paid no attention. He licked the woman's glass-and-blood covered arm for one long, lascivious second before sinking his teeth into her jugular and draining her in four quick gulps.

Life surged through his limbs. Let the bastard try to take him now...

On cue, there was a heavy thud and crunch of broken glass next to where Haggerty knelt over his now bloodless prey.

Haggerty dropped the corpse and stood, facing his former pursuer. They were still for a moment as they assessed each other.

Haggerty was tall, lanky and thin, pale in complexion and baring long fangs. His face, framed by long black hair, was covered in the tattoos of the Nyte Kings, his eyes were crimson-and-black pits.

The other man was short, thickset, shaved bald. He wore an expensive three piece suit, and his royal blue tie matched his pocket square. He was smirking, as though the scene around him was very mildly entertaining.

"Hello William," he said, "I believe you have something that belongs to my employers."

Haggerty laughed, a low gurgling sound as blood sputtered down his chin. "You're fucked, Kurtz. No one can on take a full fed King, not even a... whatever you are."

The other man shrugged and stepped forward, "Give me the pendant, William."

Haggerty swung at Kurtz, who batted the fist away with an almost lazy slap. The vampire snarled and dove at him.

The fight lasted three minutes, two and a half minutes longer than it would have had William Haggerty, Nyte King, not been freshly fed. It ended with the vampire splayed across the half-collapsed dinning room table, a finely wrought dagger protruding from under his ribs. Kurtz was leaning over him, clutching the vampire's head.

"Foolish to steal from us, William," said Kurtz, grabbing the necklace that lay around the vampire's neck and pulling it off with a snap. Kurtz let go of the Nyte King, tucking the pendant into his jacket. Haggerty twitched and gasped.

"Even more foolish to stand and fight. There are leeches in this city I would think twice about crossing..." said Kurtz, pulling his knife from the vampire's side, "...but you are not one of them. Goodnight, William."

Kurtz picked up a leg from the broken table, studied it a moment, then smiled faintly as he plunged it through the wounded Nyte King's chest.

William Haggerty shrieked and writhed as he melted into ash.

"...all a misunderstanding. Haggerty acted alone. They want you to know that," said the thrall. She was a gorgeous twentysomething, well dressed and well spoken. Just out of college, probably working in advertising or finance. Out of character for the Nyte Kings- but perhaps they were getting smart.

Kurtz smiled, revealing a row of perfect teeth. "Well, that's very reassuring. You can tell your friends that I understand, as does the rest of the Firm, which is always happy to do business where mutual profit can be found."

He cut into his steak. Blood poured onto the rest of his plate, staining the whites of his eggs. Around him, the brunch crowd tittered and giggled and gossiped and stared at their phones. His companion sipped her mimosa, looking relieved.

"I should mention," said Kurtz, bright eyes glittering in the morning light, "That my forgiveness has its limits. Should something like this happen again..."

"It won't" said the thrall, quickly, "They won't let-"

Kurtz held up a hand. He was still smiling. "They say that. Still, you tell your friends that if it happens again, I'll remind them of how the food chain works in this city."

He stabbed a hunk of steak and slid the bleeding flesh into his mouth.

"I- I'll tell them," said the thrall. Tears welled in her eyes. "They don't like me talking like that to them. They get angry and-"

Kurtz sighed and dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin, catching a drop of steak juice before it dripped onto his suit, "A shame, them getting their claws on such a...on someone like you. What's your name?"

"My name?" asked the thrall, suddenly confused. She looked for a moment like a person half-waking from a dream, "Diana."

"Beautiful," said Kurtz, "How did they get you?"

"I...it's hard to remember," she said.

"Try," he said, gently.

"A club, I think, I dunno when. I met one at the bar and his eyes..."

Kurtz nodded, "Well, Diana, when you go back to them, you tell them to release you, as a sign of courtesy to me and the Firm. I don't like seeing young women of such promise in the service of lowborn leeches."

"Thank you," whispered Diana, grasping Kurtz's hand. She jerked back in revulsion as soon as her skin touched his.

Across the restaurant patio, a girl began shrieking at the maitre d' about the smoking policy. Kurtz turned to look, head cocked to one side, like a curious predator.

"Such rudeness," he said, eyes narrowing.

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

@Flagg - Can definitely deliberate over some plot-specifics, and indepth connections when I'm off work. I have some concepts in mind we can work with.

And to anyone else, being a six-hundred-some-odd-year-old vampire is bound to yield some crossed paths.

@Kingfisher - Want me to make some banners this time around as well?

@Rockette

Sounds good!