I was born in December 1998, and I've been doing Forum RP since 2011. I live in Southeast Asia-- the Philippines (GMT +8:00) in particular, so if I'm not around, I'm probably asleep or otherwise busy. I mostly do Group RPs and Tabletop Games (off-site). I've never been in a 1x1 RP, but some of the premises seem interesting enough.
I like Fantasy, Sci-fi, and certain Anime settings. I do shy away from certain genres as a matter of preference (historical, slice-of-life, grimdark, etc), and if I know nothing about a fandom setting in question, I'm far less likely to throw my hat in the ring-- but if the premise is interesting enough, I may give it a shot regardless.
I like to be relatively active, though life gets in the way sometimes. If you're lurking and are trying to get me to post, if you want to be a mutual friend, or if you want to invite me to a specific RP, just let me know...I don't bite. So long as you aren't rude, we'll get along just fine, and even then, I may extend a sort of professional courtesy between us as writers.
With that out of the way, if you're here, you're probably looking for more of my writing. Thankfully, I've recently compiled a list of my characters (with links to their respective RPs) from this site. If you want to check them out, the link is here.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! May the RPs you're in be of an acceptable posting speed, and eventually, come to end on a decent conclusion...
The heat shield is an actual, expanding shield kind of like Gundam's ballute pack. It's not so much of an issue for Orbitals that can enter under their own power but it's a lot harder to control reentry speed for those that can't, so they get a heat shield. The boosters can go back, legs, wherever there's feasibly a hardpoint.
There are at least two catapults. There might be more, but to be honest I haven't had time to finalize my description for Pyxis yet. But there's at least two.
As for the LZ, you're welcome to go right up to entering the atmosphere I'll get an establishing post written after everybody (or almost everybody, if someone's taking a while) has launched.
Very helpful, thanks! I'll see if I can't squeeze out a reply soon.
I've got a couple questions. Does a heat shield look like an actual shield, or does it look like a second (or third) layer of armor to deflect heat on atmospheric entry? Where do the boosters go? Arms and legs?
Also, what do the catapults look like? Are there multiple of them and we can go whenever, or do we need to form lines and fire ourselves at the planet one at a time?
Do we write up what the LZ looks like? Or are there geographical features already planned?
Very true. In that case, once the extent of their crimes had been revealed, I'm sure Castle was helping out as much as he could. As far as Castle was concerned, these guys were pirates and terrorists.
Interesting. As a PMC, your bio stated that their crimes were 'extortion, bribery, human trafficking, and tax evasion'. They must've done it on a pretty huge scale if it meant that pretty much every military organization had mobilized to get these guys.
Pretty much. If the Legion is the main faction of pirates past the belt in recent years, then they've likely tangled with the Saturn Defense Force, and Holden, as a result. If the pirates are arming the insurrectionists through arms dealing, or are otherwise collaborating with them, then I'd expect the SDF would make taking down the OOL a priority of theirs. Granted, insurgent activity has died down in recent years, so that might not have happened, but it's certainly a possibility.
I actually thought that Castle was born in... 212 SA? By virtue of taking the current year and subtracting it by his biological age. That is until I realized that I hadn't taken cryosleep into account, which means he was born at least in say, 197 SA (taking the 15-year journey to Proxima Centauri into account)? We'll be generous and give him say... 5 years of cyrosleep experience (traveling around the outer planets extensively, but rarely ever making long voyages to Earth or the other inner planets)? That would mean he was born in 192 SA.
Roughly.
Now assuming that the age of service on Titan is eighteen for simplicity, then that would mean Holden was military since 210 SA. I listed him with decades of military experience, and he was only really retired for at most, a couple of years before going back to serve on the Pandora, so, taking that with the year of exit of 249 SA, with up to 2 years taken off to reflect early retirement, then that'd mean Castle has served for 37-39 years in the SDF (though that's closer to 32-34 years, if you don't count cryosleep years; they do count as Active Time Served though, as per the Van Winkle Laws).
Damn. Now I remember why I just decided to slap on "chronologically older" on the age section instead of thinking of it too hard.
So to answer your question... Assuming Castle was active until 247 SA or early 249 SA, then yes. He would've probably been participating in the hunt for the Outer-Orbital Legion (on the assumption that planetary militaries aided in the search), at least within the area around Saturn. Depending on when the hunt ended though, he may have either seen all of it, or only the initial half, before his retirement (though knowing his propensity to not quit in the middle of a job, he may have seen it all).
That being said, his glory years were during the height of the Saturn Insurrections, in the late 220s / early 230s? With the hunt for the Outer-Orbital Legion being so close to the end of his service, I doubt he would've tangled with the Legion personally unless they've skirmished near the area around Saturn. The potential of Fox having seen the Ajax or even having faced it before is certainly there, though.
Castle looked down at the holographic planetary model, a curious glint in his eyes as he listened to the announcement from the bridge. It certainly didn't seem like the lush garden world one would've expected from a place that was supposedly like Earth. Artemie was right in that regard; Earthlike, but not lush. Still, he figured that the newly christened Kitezh was still a garden world in some respects-- just that it was a 'zen garden', rather than 'flower garden'. He pondered this as he made his way to the hangar where the others were setting up.
There was a myriad assembly of Orbitals here. Some were newer, cutting-edge models. Others were older, potentially obsolete ones. Some appeared humanoid, while others seemed to be more animalistic in appearance. Some bore multiple weapon ports, and some only carried what was necessary. Whatever they looked like, each Orbital was similar to each other in a single way: these machines and their pilots were here for a reason. Each one had a role to play, and each pilot was likely skilled enough to carry their weight and then some. Soon, the group split up, each one moving to their own Orbitals to perform pre-launch checks and prepare for combat conditions.
Holden was no different.
Castle made a beeline for the towering goliath of deep blues and greys. The Ajax seemed to be in excellent condition, as evidenced by the newly-refurbished slabs of armor and freshly-replaced barrels that were now in place. A few crewmen were in the process of loading the Orbital's backpack with munitions, and a few were making sure the thrusters were up to snuff. Holden took a moment or two to admire this sight, before strolling up to the woman who was at the head of it all.
"Miss MacKenzie!" Holden grinned. "How's the Ajax holding?"
"Better than ever, boss."
Caitlin MacKenzie was a part of the engineering core who worked on maintaining the Orbitals of the Saturn Defense Force. Despite being among the youngest of her peers, she was a rising star and a whiz with a wrench who quickly became in charge of maintaining an Orbital of her own, which just happened to be Holden's RGM-96X. Where the Ajax went, so did she. After the man's retirement, she signed on as a representative of Dodekatheon Industries, which put her at the top of the potential list of candidates for the crew who would maintain his Orbital.
And neither of them would have it any other way.
"...I'm not your boss anymore, you know. We're co-workers now. You don't have to keep calling me that."
"Sure, and you don't have to call me 'Miss Mackenzie' anymore either." She rolled her eyes at the hypocrisy of his statement.
"Hah. Not happening."
"Worth a shot." She commented. "The Ajax is all ready for ya. Even spent some extra time making sure he looks good as new!"
"I noticed." Holden nodded in approval as he put a hand on the Orbital's hull. "Good work."
With that, he put on his EVA helmet, the suit quickly sealing and pressurizing with a sharp hiss. SDF Flight Suits doubled as both an EVA suit and an armored battlesuit, in case a pilot had to enter ground operations for whatever reason. Holden figured the environment down there would've been breathable enough even without the need for breathing apparatuses, but it was better safe than sorry. Castle ascended the nearby ladder and moved towards the Orbital's cockpit through a passage near the top of the backpack.
The door opened with a groan as the hydraulics opened the blast doors aside. Holden marched forward proudly and took a seat at the controls. After putting on the seatbelt and safety harness, the man began flicking through the various switches and buttons as he began running system diagnostics. He knew the risks of going down there-- of facing an unknown alien threat that is, in all likeliness, more advanced than anything humanity had ever seen.
...or the place could just be nothing but dust and rocks, but what are the odds of that?
"All systems nominal..." Cait said. "...try not to scratch the new paint job too much."
_________________________________________________________________________________________ Name: Tomyris Title: Queen of Scythia, Warrior-Queen of the Massagetae, Empress of the Steppes Class: Archer, though can be summoned as a Lancer, Rider, or Berserker. Gender: Female Alignment: Lawful Neutral Height / Weight: 167.8 cm (5ft 6in) / 52.3 kg (115 lbs) Source: Scythia (Southern Kazahkstan), Historical Fact _________________________________________________________________________________________ Personality:
Her disposition varies depending on the class she was summoned as, but as an Archer, Tomyris embodies the cleverness and shrewdness of the Saka Cavalry. Although she retains her honorable nature, she is not above the use of poison, hit-and-run, or ambush tactics-- to her, these are simply tools in her arsenal with which she can do combat with. Her knowledge of these techniques is indicative of one thing: she refuses to be fooled by these ploys a second time.
To her, any battle where both opponents use everything at their disposal to win is a battle well-fought, but there are lines in the sand she will not cross. In spite of the use of such tactics, her pride will not allow her to stoop to more unscrupulous means, such as the sacrifice of one's own men to gain an advantage, the taking of civilian hostages, or surprise attacks during parleys and truces. Naturally, anyone who acts in this manner earns her disdain, and she is particularly wary of those who have been known to employ such strategies in the past.
Tomyris is a just, but harsh queen. She has no wish of her own, but will reluctantly accept fighting for a well-intentioned Master. Outside of battle, she is a reserved individual who prefers the simpler things in life-- her clothing is a Scythian cloak, her shoes are the hard soles of her feet, her bed is the earth, and her food is only seasoned by hunger. The Queen of Scythia enjoys spending time in wide, open spaces, and dislikes staying indoors for too long. Tomyris hates alcohol and pities those who drink, though she is no stranger to the recreational and ritual use of hashish. Lastly, she has a bit of a matronly side and is quite fond of children, though she is neither overbearing nor overprotective of them.
Treat her with respect, and she will return the gesture, but woe to those who betray her trust, for the Queen of Scythia always intends on fulfilling her promises.
Bio:
Tomyris was the widow of a Scythian chieftain who had assumed his leadership of a group of tribes. The chieftainess also had at least one child, the ill-fated Spargapises, who commanded the first rank of horse-warriors. Meanwhile, King Cyrus I had taken command in the Achaemenid Empire (too often referred to as the “First Persian Empire”); although he had plans to expand to the south, which would bring him into conflict with powerful Egypt, he had to first secure his eastern borders, where the unpredictable Scythians (of which the Massagetae were a branch) were raising hell.
Cyrus first tried the usual ploy – if you couldn’t avoid trouble, marry it. He dispatched envoys to Tomyris with an offer of wedded bliss. Tomyris, obviously no fool and realizing it was not her that Cyrus courted but her kingdom, replied in the negative. Cyrus, therefore, marched his army to the River Syr Darya; not concealing his hostile intent, Cyrus ordered boats built. No doubt he figured there’s more than one way to skin a horse. Tomyris, in turn, dispatched a message that called for a battle between the two forces (she’d also assembled her host), reading, in part, “leave your useless toil of bridge-making; let us retire three days’ march from the river bank and do you come across with your soldiers; or, if you like better to give us battle on your side, retire yourself an equal distance.” In council, the great king’s advisors recommended having at it on the Persian side.
But Cyrus was convinced that a different plan would prevail. Upon the advice of Croesus the Lydian, Cyrus agreed to meet the Scythians on their side, crossing the river and marching well inland. There a camp would be established, well stocked with wines and spirits, with which the barbarians were unfamiliar. And it would be guarded by a handful, as Cyrus led his army away to the planned battlefield. But, in truth, the army would march a short ways and await the inevitable attack on the camp by the horsemen. Then, after a suitable time had passed for them to be well intoxicated, Cyrus would fall upon them and thus win the day.
And so it fell out. The drunken Massagetae-Scythian rabble, led by Spargapises, were overwhelmed, losing a third of their number in minutes with most of the rest captured, including Tomyris’ son. Upon hearing of the debacle, Tomyris dispatched a herald to announce that, since he had been captured “by trickery not in the battle of strengths,” her son was to be released. Cyrus refused, and now-sober Spargapises committed suicide after convincing the king to loosen his bonds. The enraged queen gathered her horse-archers and allies, and gave battle. According to the old Greek’s account...
“The following, as I understand, was the manner of it: First, the two armies stood apart and shot their arrows at each other; then, when their quivers were empty, they closed and fought hand-to-hand with lances and daggers; and thus they continued fighting for a length of time, neither choosing to give ground. At length the Scythians prevailed. The greater part of the army of the Persians was destroyed and Cyrus himself fell, after reigning nine and twenty years. Search was made among the slain by order of the queen for the body of Cyrus. When it was found, she dipped the head of Cyrus into blood and thus insulted the corpse, ‘I live and have conquered you in fight, and yet by you am I ruined, for you took my son with guile; but thus I make good my threat, and give you your fill of blood.’ Of the many different accounts which are given of the death of Cyrus, this which I have followed appears to me most worthy of credit.”
And, with that, Tomyris, warrior-chieftain of the Scythians, disappears from history... as the Scythians themselves would do a few centuries later. The authenticity of this tale seems questionable... but it does make for a rousing tale of a mother’s vengeance.
Weapon:
Tomyris is well-known for using a Scythian Bow, otherwise known as a composite bow. She has different types of arrows to suit the situation, whether it is for hunting or for battle. These arrowheads are often dipped in a poison known as Sythicon. In addition, both bow and arrows are held in a special bowcase-quiver known as a Gortos.
Strength: C Endurance: D+ Agility: B+ Mana: D Luck: D
_________________________________________________________________________________________ Class Skills:
Independent Action C: The capacity of Servants to subsist without a Master. At Rank C, Tomyris is capable of remaining in this world for one day without an established contract.
Riding C: The ability to ride beasts and vehicles. At Rank C, Tomyris is capable of handling most mundane animals and vehicles with considerable skill. She can achieve difficult maneuvers with some effort.
Magic Resistance D: A skill that grants the Servant some resistance against spells. At Rank D, Single-Action spells are cancelled. This level of Magic Resistance is comparable to an amulet that rejects magical energy.
Personal Skills:
Subversive Activities D+: The talent to reduce the enemy forces in the preliminary stages, before going into battle. An expert on traps and ambushes. However, the higher is the ranking of this skill, the more one's spiritual status as a hero declines. At Rank D+, Tomyris may reduce an opponent's combat effectiveness by nearly 22.5% before combat begins.
Clairvoyance C: This skill grants a superior visual perception. It supplements long-range aiming and increases dynamic vision. Furthermore, at higher ranks, it is possible to acquire precognition and other forms of perception that are beyond normal eyesight (X-ray vision and the sort). At Rank C, Tomyris is capable of accurate aim in a four-kilometer range. She is able to track down moving targets with considerable ease.
Disengage B: The ability to withdraw from combat. At Rank B, Tomyris can usually retreat even in the most unfavorable conditions. She gains bonuses to defense while fleeing, and also has the ability to return an unfavorable battle to the first turn, along with the status of the battlers.
Title: Mrgu Mda'ef Satakewn - Bane of Immortals: Envenomed Arrowheads Rank: C+ NP Type: Anti-Unit Range: 1-99 Maximum Number of Targets: 1 Description: Scythian arrowheads were small, barbed, and often laced in rancid poison called Sythicon. It was a mixture of rotten bodies of small snakes and their venom, human blood, and excrement buried in the ground until complete decomposition. The Roman poet Ovid claimed that this substance when applied to the arrowhead, “promises a double death”.
"I warned you that I would quench your thirst for blood, and so I shall."
During her battle against the Achaemenid Empire, Tomyris had slain a number of soldiers and Persian Immortals. By the end of the battle, even Cyrus the Great himself had fallen to her arrows. His body was crucified and decapitated, and his head sealed in a vessel filled with blood. The queen had made good on her warning and fulfilled her promise. Cyrus' body was then drained of blood and mixed into another batch of Sythicon, his Divinity having a curious effect on the poison.
Passively, enemies struck by her arrows take damage over time, though targets with a high END stat or Resistance to Poison are less affected by this. In addition to being agonizing and often fatal to weaker enemies, the poison itself aggravates present impurities in the target’s system, further amplifying the effects of diseases, curses, or other poisons that may be circulating within the target.
At her discretion, Tomyris can invoke the name of her Noble Phantasm to release an arrow dipped in poison made from the blood of Cyrus the Great. In addition to the previous effects, this arrow works on a Conceptual level, bypassing defenses caused by blessings or general immortality. Enemies with a high Magic Resistance may be able to resist this effect, but enemies with Divinity are particularly susceptible.
Fighting Style:
Tomyris prefers an indirect approach when fighting, mainly striking over long distances when the enemy has no chance to fight back and evading anyone who tries to get close. Bleeding out the enemy through attrition and constant attacks, never giving them a moment of respite-- that is her strategy. She isn't cowardly, for she will bravely take on any challenge and any foe, no matter how inferior she might be to them. This is merely the most appropriate method to achieve victory at her disposal.
As an Archer, she can easily attack from almost a kilometer away, the range of which can be further extended depending on both her Clairvoyance as well as external factors. Her Endurance and Agility increase when fighting defensively with allies on territory she has prepared on before. The effectiveness of her Subversive Activities skill also increases when she has faced the opponent in battle before, to represent the fact that she is bringing her full arsenal to bear, now that she has met the enemy previously.
There's not much about me to say.
I was born in December 1998, and I've been doing Forum RP since 2011. I live in Southeast Asia-- the Philippines (GMT +8:00) in particular, so if I'm not around, I'm probably asleep or otherwise busy. I mostly do Group RPs and Tabletop Games (off-site). I've never been in a 1x1 RP, but some of the premises seem interesting enough.
I like Fantasy, Sci-fi, and certain Anime settings. I do shy away from certain genres as a matter of preference (historical, slice-of-life, grimdark, etc), and if I know nothing about a fandom setting in question, I'm far less likely to throw my hat in the ring-- but if the premise is interesting enough, I may give it a shot regardless.
I like to be relatively active, though life gets in the way sometimes. If you're lurking and are trying to get me to post, if you want to be a mutual friend, or if you want to invite me to a specific RP, just let me know...I don't bite. So long as you aren't rude, we'll get along just fine, and even then, I may extend a sort of professional courtesy between us as writers.
With that out of the way, if you're here, you're probably looking for more of my writing. Thankfully, I've recently compiled a list of my characters (with links to their respective RPs) from this site. If you want to check them out, the link is [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/185346-hawthornes-rpguild-characters/ooc]here[/url].
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! May the RPs you're in be of an acceptable posting speed, and eventually, come to end on a decent conclusion...
...A man can dream, eh?
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">There's not much about me to say.<br><br>I was born in December 1998, and I've been doing Forum RP since 2011. I live in Southeast Asia-- the Philippines (GMT +8:00) in particular, so if I'm not around, I'm probably asleep or otherwise busy. I mostly do Group RPs and Tabletop Games (off-site). I've never been in a 1x1 RP, but some of the premises seem interesting enough.<br><br>I like Fantasy, Sci-fi, and certain Anime settings. I do shy away from certain genres as a matter of preference (historical, slice-of-life, grimdark, etc), and if I know nothing about a fandom setting in question, I'm far less likely to throw my hat in the ring-- but if the premise is interesting enough, I may give it a shot regardless.<br><br>I like to be relatively active, though life gets in the way sometimes. If you're lurking and are trying to get me to post, if you want to be a mutual friend, or if you want to invite me to a specific RP, just let me know...I don't bite. So long as you aren't rude, we'll get along just fine, and even then, I may extend a sort of professional courtesy between us as writers.<br><br>With that out of the way, if you're here, you're probably looking for more of my writing. Thankfully, I've recently compiled a list of my characters (with links to their respective RPs) from this site. If you want to check them out, the link is <a href="https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/185346-hawthornes-rpguild-characters/ooc">here</a>.<br><br>If you made it this far, thanks for reading! May the RPs you're in be of an acceptable posting speed, and eventually, come to end on a decent conclusion...<br><br>...A man can dream, eh?</div>
Member
Eviledd1984
Arthanus
Patroxclus
