Hexaflexagon

Gods, Wizards, & Kings

Keep the OOC alive at least, fellas. It makes things seem like we actually have activity.

@Liar

Face activity is the best activity!

Yeah. OP, do the steryotypical all reply / first impressions and get this show on the road!

@RabidAnubis

I'm working on that! Should be done soonish maybe later this night or scratch of dawn tomorrow morning before I go to work. Hold your figurative horses! XD I've been waiting it off, but it seems we will have to hope our friends who did not post come back and they can catch up.

Mass Effect: Omega Serenade

@DJAtomika@my Lalia@McHaggis
Hey people! Cool, cool, cool this is enough people to start up a squad with room for another soul if they venture by. That means the OCC shall be starting soon. In the meantime while I'm working on that do you guys have any questions, comments, concerns?

Mass Effect: Omega Serenade

The year is 2160 CE, three years after the Relay 314 incident. The state of the galaxy is in a constant flux as the advent of humanity has raised a question of the path of the future. Anti-human sentiments are at a record high as the anti-human movement primarily lead by the Turians that fought them during the First Contact War has gained traction. At the same time the rise of the Systems Alliance has marked a large blip on the radar of the galaxy of a new power that seemed threatening especially to their Batarian neighbors in the Skyllian Verge. To counter this the formation of pro-human groups such as Cerberus have been formed with their manifestos preaching a new manifest destiny to conquer the known galaxy. This accumulation of events were slowly adding to a powder keg waiting to explode. It is a time of great change, social upheaval, discontent and angry feelings throughout Council Space. As a result a mass exodus of souls had begun moving out into the Traverse and a brave few heading deeper to the Terminus Systems themselves where they could be anything they wanted as long as they had the grit to fight for it. It is here on the former mining station of Omega that our story begins.

Omega is the cesspool of the greater galaxy. The so called "Dark, twisted counterpart to the Citadel." The mining station is a haven of traffickers, slavers, peddlers, and terrorist alike all trying to live underneath the same roof. Having no standing military or public government to speak of what little order comes from the various mercenary groups that dived the area into predetermined territories. The only semblance of a central figure comes from Aria T'Loak an Asari who's syndicate have significant control over the station after Aria's defeat of the station's former warlord almost one hundred and eighty years prior. Those not affiliated with any of the myriad of mercenary groups were downtrodden and trying to make ends meat while having to pay exuberant extortion fees to keep their places of business still running. Thick polluted smog fills the air and bodies of prostitutes, drug addicts and the unlucky litter the alleyways of the sprawling maze like series of towering buildings and factories jammed next to one another. Any attempts at bring justice to the hell has always ended in failure with those few vigilant who tried ending up down in an alley somewhere with their brain's blown in by a M-6 Carnifex, blood illuminated by the oppressive neon.

This fact never deterred some though and their will always be fools wanting to be heroes. This is a story of one such group of misanthropes and paragons willing to become vigilantes in the name of justice. In the Terminus systems there was only one law and the that was the law of the strong and so for whatever reason these individuals came together to fight for those that could not fight for themselves, one bullet through the skull at a time. They are not heroes, heroes had morals, heroes had restraint, and heroes did not enjoy the bloodshed. No they are just the bad men and women needed to keep the other demons from getting through the door. But in the Terminus Systems sometimes you needed bad men to be able to get good things done.

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The Brief Overview

• What is this?: A Mass Effect RP
• Alright cool but why is this one different?: Because while still definitely rooted in the Mass Effect Universe, the story takes direct inspiration from Hong Kong Blood Operas and Spaghetti Westerns with an emphasis on outrageous gun duels, gritty blood splatters and morally grey characters capping evil dudes from the greater good.
• So who are our character's going to be?: A myriad of different faces all drawn to the Terminus system for various reasons and all for one reason or another willing to cross the line to bring justice to those that deserve it. Basically a collection of Space Batmen.
• I see that it is titled Omega Serenade does that mean we will be restricted to the titular mining complex?: Of course not! The name I took mostly from inspiration of Tom Waits' one and only San Diego Serenade while Omega will be the starting point their will be plenty of other places on the list like Illium and maybe even the Citadel.
• So since the tone is decidedly gritty will this be a dark and edgy angst fest the entire time?: Not at all! While the tone is dark and the subject matter dealing with mature themes such as death, depravity, drugs abuse and oppression it is still the Mass Effect Universe so I want to preserve that laughing in the face of death mentality that the games had.
• Why is it set in 2160 CE rather than let us say during or after the events of the game?: Honestly because I don't think the story needs to intercept with the story of the games and this puts it at an interesting time geopolitically speaking in the galaxy with the rise of the Systems Alliance and the aftermath of the First Contact War.

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And So...

Congratulations you've made it to the concluding statements of this interest check. You may still be asking yourself how do you fit into this situation and so I will try my best to explain it all. I'm looking for three to four other individuals that would like to participate in this adventure through the Mass Effect Universe. I'm trying to keep the group small to really allow us to facilitate the bonds between our characters that only such a small group of characters constantly threatened by death can acquire. If you like high action gun fights straight out of an action movie, I'd say this is the RP for you. Though on the flip side if you enjoy lots of character interaction, deeply morally rooted themes and questions that make you think, I think this also your RP. If you ever wanted to be Space Batman fighting crime, this is almost definitely your RP. So this is where I ask a simple question. Who wants in?

Frozen Corona

I'm sorry guys but I'm going to have to step out of this one. I just don't think I will be able to give it the attention it deserves. Good luck with it and my deepest apologizes once again!

Gods, Wizards, & Kings

@Liar
Eh not really I suppose it is not like one Luminary can really do anything much by himself anyway, so it wouldn't be OP or anything like that. And something you all will learn about my RP style is that if it makes a better story I'm basically game for most things. So sure!

Gods, Wizards, & Kings

@Liar
In Highwinter? Well there isn't really a leader at all. Rather at any given time there are five Luminary's that run the city. While most know the Luminarys few actually stop and think of about there importance as the de facto leaders of Highwinter. The identity of each Luminary is a well protected secrete that is never known even among themselves as at all meetings they wear magical masks that cover the full face and alter the voice with magic. How they are elected is also a complete mystery though must just assume that other Luminary's vote upon it once another dies. Because Shadowy Councils are oh so much fun! lol

Though outwardly there is a Lord of Highwinter who namely serves as a figurehead, and as political face and representation of the Luminary's opinions to be voiced to the public. The current holder of this title is a human by the name of Ulalis Elaled who inherited the title for his father so odd thirty years ago making him about in his early fifties. In the event that the Lord produces no heir the aristocratic have a series of heated debates until a new dynasty is determined through an election by the aristocracy. While this may seem silly debating over a position with no inheritat value becoming Lord or part of the Lord's family automatically boosts your status through the roof in a city where Status can get you a grand many a things, that and you get to live in the Sprawling Lord's Keep a large sprawling castle that towers over even the Estate District. That and it gives the rich a sense of power while keeping them complacent which the Luminary's enjoy.

@RabidAnubis
Calwen can be Violet and Lady Vekk can be Cyan.

And while that is a good idea ultimately I feel it is unnecessary and a bit of a hassle really. Don't fret though I already have a plan to make sure all the conversations are worked in together and everything flows nicely in the next post. Without the need of course for a collab post such as that or us all going back and forth in little posts.

Gods, Wizards, & Kings

@Lotta Pumpkins@RabidAnubis

Well that was the intend point in the manner. The two would barely acknowledge your existence so that we could get on with things because group of adventures stands about on a dock and exchanges pleasantries out of common courtesy does not sound like the most riveting of tales. XD

Though I do have a question for you guys as well as everyone else. We have two options the first is that once on the boat we can talk a little bit among one another you know character interaction and all that or we could skip the boat ride entirely and get our first real hint of the greater overall arching plot at the group's arrival at Kailee's End. For if you have not guessed things are not always so simple as gather lost immeasurably powerful artifact. Which would you prefer?

Frozen Corona

The ghostly phantoms of disrupted circadian rhythms danced a waltz in Kelly's head. She acted in an almost autonomous state as her brain tried to find purchase on a solid foundation as she numbly strapped her self into her seat. Kelly MacLise had read about "The Sickness" but she had never experienced the phenomenon first hand. She knew it was primarily thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance caused by the cocktail of sedatives used to prepare one for cryosleep and despite several well funded research campaigns nothing has come in the way of a permanent solution. The drugs that were injected right after being awoken assisted in the process but were not the cure that everyone was looking for. So it was a facet of travel and colonization that humanity had to deal with in this new golden age of exploration as historians were so fond to call it.This knowledge of the problem and cause of her fatigue of course did nothing but add to her frustration as she knew nothing could fix her problems at this point except for time.

The intense physical fatigue had made the last several minutes, maybe hours, seem like a large smudged blur like spilled ink in water. She remembered being awoken from cyro and having to practically been dragged out of her pod. If she recalled correctly there was a lot of vomiting and sweating as her body tried to come over the shock. It was a rather unpleasant way to be awakened back into the world of the living. In those first few moments she felt as if maybe her parents were right and she wasn't at all ready for this. Soon though she didn't have much time to think about anything as she was ushered forward unceremoniously to the next point in her journey without much time to adjust. Time was money after all. She faintly remembered talking her first wobbly steps down the hallway as she entered the inoculation area. She tried to focus on the labels and names of the ensuing barrage of drugs and accelerants that were pumped into her body. This act of mental prowess soon failed as all her eyes were able to focus on were the hues within of the liquids getting pumped in: blues, greens, scarlet, purples, and yellows all vanishing into her body.

After they finished the formalities they were pushed along to the landing craft, the loud drone of voices and machinery getting further and further away. They found there way into a dark crowded space where they were directed to seat down. Soon afterwards the trail of assistants and supervisors vanished without a scant work of good lock as the pressurized door locked behind them. There was a lurch as the floor beneath them shook before they were jettisoned into space. Kelly looked around at her flower miners, explores and the like still in a dream like haze, they were all gruff muscular types with serious eyes currently glazed over from the sickness. Kelly herself felt like the odd one out and tried to block out her own insecurities reminding herself that she was chosen for this job just as much as they were. Her body still sluggish and non responsive it took great effort to bring the industrial strength seatbelt across her chest but anything was a welcomed diversion from her own mind still fraught with worry and doubt in the moment.

As the belt was secured with a resounding click Kelly rested her head back trying to recenter herself. She fought for a deep breath of air to fill her lungs before expunging it outwards her body in its altered state having to push with the force of an Olympian to seemingly get anything done. She focused only on her breathing and the world around her in an attempt to barricade her own thoughts away. She listened to the others breathing most sounding as weighted down and straggling as hers. She listened to the landing craft as it made its descent trying her best not to think of all the horror stories she has heard of pilots messing up the descent angle by one degree only to have their entire craft, crew and cargo disintegrate in a force of flame. The rumbling increased as time slowly progressed and Kelly closed her hands waiting for the whole damn process to be over so that she could her feet on solid ground.

Frozen Corona

I'm ready as well.

Gods, Wizards, & Kings

@Liar
Indeed you guys do but I can wait a bit longer as long as the others don't mind.

@Lotta Pumpkins
How could I say no to the Starsky and Hutch duo of Bard and Golem?