HeySeuss

Battletech: Forlorn Hope

T;DR Summary:

• Using the provided template, please create a character sheet.
• Please post only sheets in this tab.
• Feel free to ask questions in the OOC tab.

Unit Structure/Battlemechs

Bravo Lance, 1st Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth (AFFC) Cadre Company

• Command: ( Recommend a fast moving medium such as the Phoenix Hawk, upgraded variant like the PHX-1b which is the old Star League version and might well be field tested because of the re-discovered tech but it's ultimately up to you.)
• Fire Support: Recommend medium mech.
• Recon 1: (Locust, Raven,Jenner, Cicada, Hermes, Hermes II, Mercury , Mongoose, Wolfhound(as a heavy scout), Sentinel(also as a heavy scout) and Firefly are really good examples, but there are other mechs as well in the light to medium category. You are allowed to play around and have custom configurations -- because it's a unit that field tests prototypes.)
• Recon 2: (As above)

Character Sheet

(Template Here)

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Branch of Service: Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces or Armed Forces of the Federated Suns; in any case, both states are part of the Federated Commonwealth.
Physical Description:

It's probably best to actually describe the character if you are going to rely on a picture, or you can
do without the picture if you like, but definitely describe.

Character History:

Explain how your character got there -- no 'the story will come out in RP' lines, please -- I want a feel for where your character is coming from. Social class, entrance into NAIS/Nagelring and so forth is useful information. Most Mechwarriors come from feudal families with a long association with warfare, but newcomers are not unknown, especially as these days, Great Houses own more and more of the mechs and grant them to the best pilot candidates.

Psychological Profile:

An idea of how the character thinks and so forth; should be linked to the history.

Skills:

Academic performance and any standout classes/training they've had. A feel for what sort of mechs they prefer, though odds are that the characters have limited time with Heavy and Assault class mechs; they've probably done a lot of simulation time with such, however.

Equipment:

List here; neurohelmet and cooling vest (mechwarriors strip down to shorts in the cockpit, most of the time) are assumed. Other equipment as you see fit. This is not a limiting list -- I will be happy to allow amendments as it carries on.

Battlemech

The most important item of equipment is separate; please list the type (such as TDR-9SE). Inner Sphere mechs that exist in 3050 only. Information on modifications is also appreciated. We will go into greater detail on the applications of helmet-mounted modules, networking capabilities and drones, etc, etc as well. (I have to update that from the old BT stuff. See the above list for ideas on which mechs to take.)

Battletech: Forlorn Hope

_{Yes, I supported the kickstarter. I love BT.}

T;DR Summary:

- The year 3050 in the Battletech Universe
- The primary weapon of war is the Battlemech, a class of heavily armored robots piloted by a human's nervous system.
- Characters are Mechwarriors in the lance (four to six -- I am willing to augment the lance) or support personnel (there's about a platoon of those, including infantry/security and aerial reconnaissance for the mechs.) However, three characters is all I need to start this.
- The characters top military academy students from the Federated Commonwealth, in their final year of training at the New Avalon Institute of Science (NAIS) College of Military Science or The Nagelring, and are doing field work in experimental battlemechs in conjunction with the College of Engineering at NAIS, who are trying out various new technologies.
- The unit and their support staff find themselves out in Steelton in the Lyran Commonwealth side of the FC, doing field tests of sensor and targeting systems in dense sandstorm conditions and other inclement weather specifically.
- Inner Sphere tech only; it's 3050, right before certain things happen. (Not spoiling)
- Characters should be members of the AFFC -- Lyran or FedSuns side.
- Chat Link - Feel free to ask questions. No Skype account needed to be a guest.

In Character Info:

3050; humanity has gone to the stars. But human nature hasn't changed much. In the last three hundred years, since the Star League Defense Forces jumped out of the Inner Sphere and into the beyond, the Inner Sphere has been wracked with a series of destructive wars to determine the succession of one of the Great Houses to the First Lordship of the Star League, a seat vacant since the Amaris Coup three hundred years ago. The only thing that's been accomplished is the near-destruction of space travel technology.

Right now, however, the Inner Sphere is in a good place. Thanks to Grayson Carlyle's recovery of the Helm Memory Core in 3028, technology is improving rapidly, a reversal from the fall of the Star League and the destruction of the Succession Wars when so much technology was lost that some planets were brought back to a 21st century standard of technology. With the marriage of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner, it seems inevitable that the unified Federated Commonwealth will eventually be able to bring the other three great houses to the negotiating table to revive the Star League, possibly without having a destructive war in the process. It feels like humanity turned a corner.

Graduation is a heady time for any student, but particularly for senior students at NAIS and the Nagelring, the best of whom are on a detached duty in the far reaches of the Lyran Commonwealth, finishing up a joint maneuver with regional militia and the 12th Star Guards, a mercenary unit, and testing new and different systems for the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth. It's a cool assignment where the young mechwarriors get to use unusual and new pieces of technology and battlemechs in a variety of interesting field conditions as test pilots near the Periphery. Though there is little action to be had besides dealing with potential pirate attacks, they get to run exercises with an elite mercenary unit and, in general, be free of the day to day discipline of academy life. It's almost like a working vacation, a reprieve for all the hard work of four years of the Academy and the hard years before that, preparing to enter the Academy.

They don't expect what's coming for them from the Periphery. No one does.

Out of Character Info:

I can answer any and all battletech universe questions, but here's the essentials; your characters are Mechwarriors, and are most likely from a feudal class or wealthy background. While the militaries are becoming more egalitarian with the rediscovery of Lostech from the Helm Memory Core in 3028 the average mechwarrior is still the product of a feudal family and their retainers that have been piloting mechs, sometimes the same mech inherited from family, for generations.

They are on soft duty, so they think, but there is about to be a huge disruption to the Inner Sphere's status quo and it's going to come at them from the Periphery. They will not be prepared for it but they will have to deal with it.

I designed the unit, a small unit of mechwarriors working with technology types, so that the characters would have a good reason to be very inexperienced characters with very advanced equipment -- realistically, anything in the Inner Sphere could show up on these scientific studies -- including mechs that belong typically to other factions. I wanted to keep it flexible.

I realize that the amount of lore in this RP can be daunting, but I've been in on the lore stuff for this setting since childhood and I can cut through the confusion. If you are confused or not familiar with the setting, you can throw me a concept and I can work out a sheet for you that handles the history portion -- and I am willing to do this. I can assign titles, planets, and a degree of background sufficient to set up your character as credible in their position and then let you fill out the rest.

Samewise, I have a list of acceptable battlemechs to start with that make it easy; since the starting battlemech is just that and characters will be switching in the process of the RP, it's not hugely important to get the most perfect, bestest, awesomest mech from the outset, because your character won't be in it long (unless you love it). I am recommending light and medium mechs because this is still a training unit and because the maneuverability is important. It's not like you'll stay in them unless your character is just a big fan of the chassis.

Battletech: Forlorn Hope

Well, people can just refer them over to me and I'll let you know. Stick to IS mechs in service prior to or as of 3050.

Battletech: Forlorn Hope

_{Yes, I supported the kickstarter. I love BT.}

T;DR Summary:

- The year 3050 in the Battletech Universe
- The primary weapon of war is the Battlemech, a class of heavily armored robots piloted by a human's nervous system.
- Characters are Mechwarriors in the lance (four to six -- I am willing to augment the lance) or support personnel (there's about a platoon of those, including infantry/security and aerial reconnaissance for the mechs.) However, three characters is all I need to start this.
- The characters top military academy students from the Federated Commonwealth, in their final year of training at the New Avalon Institute of Science (NAIS) College of Military Science or The Nagelring, and are doing field work in experimental battlemechs in conjunction with the College of Engineering at NAIS, who are trying out various new technologies.
- The unit and their support staff find themselves out in Steelton in the Lyran Commonwealth side of the FC, doing field tests of sensor and targeting systems in dense sandstorm conditions and other inclement weather specifically.
- Inner Sphere tech only; it's 3050, right before certain things happen. (Not spoiling)
- Characters should be members of the AFFC -- Lyran or FedSuns side.
- Chat Link - Feel free to ask questions. No Skype account needed to be a guest.

In Character Info:

3050; humanity has gone to the stars. But human nature hasn't changed much. In the last three hundred years, since the Star League Defense Forces jumped out of the Inner Sphere and into the beyond, the Inner Sphere has been wracked with a series of destructive wars to determine the succession of one of the Great Houses to the First Lordship of the Star League, a seat vacant since the Amaris Coup three hundred years ago. The only thing that's been accomplished is the near-destruction of space travel technology.

Right now, however, the Inner Sphere is in a good place. Thanks to Grayson Carlyle's recovery of the Helm Memory Core in 3028, technology is improving rapidly, a reversal from the fall of the Star League and the destruction of the Succession Wars when so much technology was lost that some planets were brought back to a 21st century standard of technology. With the marriage of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner, it seems inevitable that the unified Federated Commonwealth will eventually be able to bring the other three great houses to the negotiating table to revive the Star League, possibly without having a destructive war in the process. It feels like humanity turned a corner.

Graduation is a heady time for any student, but particularly for senior students at NAIS and the Nagelring, the best of whom are on a detached duty in the far reaches of the Lyran Commonwealth, finishing up a joint maneuver with regional militia and the 12th Star Guards, a mercenary unit, and testing new and different systems for the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth. It's a cool assignment where the young mechwarriors get to use unusual and new pieces of technology and battlemechs in a variety of interesting field conditions as test pilots near the Periphery. Though there is little action to be had besides dealing with potential pirate attacks, they get to run exercises with an elite mercenary unit and, in general, be free of the day to day discipline of academy life. It's almost like a working vacation, a reprieve for all the hard work of four years of the Academy and the hard years before that, preparing to enter the Academy.

They don't expect what's coming for them from the Periphery. No one does.

Out of Character Info:

I can answer any and all battletech universe questions, but here's the essentials; your characters are Mechwarriors, and are most likely from a feudal class or wealthy background. While the militaries are becoming more egalitarian with the rediscovery of Lostech from the Helm Memory Core in 3028 the average mechwarrior is still the product of a feudal family and their retainers that have been piloting mechs, sometimes the same mech inherited from family, for generations.

They are on soft duty, so they think, but there is about to be a huge disruption to the Inner Sphere's status quo and it's going to come at them from the Periphery. They will not be prepared for it but they will have to deal with it.

I designed the unit, a small unit of mechwarriors working with technology types, so that the characters would have a good reason to be very inexperienced characters with very advanced equipment -- realistically, anything in the Inner Sphere could show up on these scientific studies -- including mechs that belong typically to other factions. I wanted to keep it flexible.

I realize that the amount of lore in this RP can be daunting, but I've been in on the lore stuff for this setting since childhood and I can cut through the confusion. If you are confused or not familiar with the setting, you can throw me a concept and I can work out a sheet for you that handles the history portion -- and I am willing to do this. I can assign titles, planets, and a degree of background sufficient to set up your character as credible in their position and then let you fill out the rest.

Samewise, I have a list of acceptable battlemechs to start with that make it easy; since the starting battlemech is just that and characters will be switching in the process of the RP, it's not hugely important to get the most perfect, bestest, awesomest mech from the outset, because your character won't be in it long (unless you love it).

Blood Debt (Medieval/Fantasy, Rangers)

<Snipped quote by Gunther>

My mercenaries are going to show up later. I think most of the baddies you'll face now are generic mercs/royal soldiers.

@Flagg

Well, Harold's tax collectors certainly won't be mercs, so yeah. Royal livery, Harold's own.

Edit: So to summarize for @Gunther: Royal troops guarding a tax collector's wagons, one of which has Brand's body there. They are also carrying pay for some of the merc companies. I would say there are other wagons out there, so some mercs will get paid, others won't. Or they'll underpay all of them. Either way, trouble for Harold.

Blood Debt (Medieval/Fantasy, Rangers)

In order to get the Brand body thing going, and to get Flagg going as well, I wanted to set up a fight to get Brand's body back. Noxious agreed to modify her post to slip that information. I am going with the idea that once they had an idea where the body was, they'd make a move on to get it back before Harold could defile it. (And before Veredict could interrogate it.)

Edit: Also, if people want to do interaction and post the back and forth, conversations and so forth, skype is a good place to collaborate. As noted, no account required. I have a chat set up already. The link is on the front page.

Blood Debt (Medieval/Fantasy, Rangers)

Sachevia was the sibling he never expected to hear from again. She was, far and away, Brand's true problem child, and not a warm and fuzzy one when it came to kids running around. So Masef never really got to know her quite as well as the others. He was all of nine when she headed off into the world. But the information on Brand's body being transported? That was something else. It changed plans, demanded an immediate reaction. There would be no burial without the body and the body was on the move. Harold apparently cared a lot about the money and the body. What he would use the body for, Masef had no clue. The note had been scanty on any detailed plans, but he was imagining some sort of symbolic display on Harold's part. Brand of the Nightwood was one of the kingdom's heroes, at one time.

The information was good. It took a few days of movement and tracking, moving through the wood and coming out along the Harthbym road as only rangers could. It was not a feat that could be accomplished by foot soldiers or cavalry. It was strange for Masef to be surrounded by the deep, lush ground foliage of the wood, so different from the desert lands he'd inhabited the last few years. There were no paths to navigate for the uninitiated, much less for a troop of soldiers, but he still knew the landmarks. It allowed them the chance to get there and intercept. The wagons were on the road, chests lashed to their beds. One of them held a much larger box. That was where the simplicity ended. There were something akin to thirty or so men, some riding on the three wagons, others on horseback. Liveried knights and men-at-arms to a man with the royal heraldry. Mail, halberds, swords, axes and lances. This would be no simple fight.

They had the luxury of time to plan things, because the movement of the wagon dictated the pace. The knights and the men at arms moved with the wagons. The road was hard-packed earth, sunken down by successive generations of traffic into the earth. It gave about two or three feet of elevation for those in the wooded areas, and it was clear that the men at arms were concerned for some sort of rebel holdouts, perhaps baron's men or bandits. Qazar, of course, gave his advice, but that was predictable. Qazar was always seeking more of a foothold. There was a core of fire and death that swirled in his consciousness, begging to be reached into, but there was another source of magic there that he could touch even before Qazar, though it was tentative, weaker. It didn't hold the strings attached, it was naturally a part of him rather than some old Warlock-King, looking for a release from his prison. More easy-going once, Masef forced himself to become more deliberate because he was Qazar's jailer. He feared the necessity of having to bring Qazar out and Qazar knew this. The old bastard was eager to interact with the world, to touch it once more.

Among the brush, his cloak breaking his shape up in the natural camouflage, he waited with a bow in hand and a bodkin arrow laying on it, nocked but not drawn. He was already regulating his breath, drawing on exercises he employed to clear his mind. Brand had taught those to him once, because he'd shown a spark or two of ability in the past. They'd spent more time on it than some of the others had with Brand. Always the calmness, always the center. He needed those skills more than ever as he used Brand's skills to dismantle Qazar's influence and stick the old tyrant back into his cage. It was a concentration exercise for archery, but Masef and Brand turned it into something more. Control it or it controlled you, Brand always said. The mysteries surrounding Masef's heritage drove him South, and Brand had bid him farewell. Come back and see me when you have your answers. It will be a story to hear, I'm sure, the old ranger had said.

Masef had stories now, but telling them, perhaps, to his siblings wouldn't be the same as sitting with Brand in his Nightwood cottage over some mulled cider, roasting a hunted deer and regaling the old man with tales of the sights he'd seen. That anticipated experience was forever denied him. Qazar cackled in his skull, Masef told the old Tyrant to shut up.

I will, Masef told Brand. There was a physical compulsion to come back to the Nightwood, and it came back stronger as he saw Brand's casket. Others might have balked at the idea of such opposition, but Masef made a promise. And when Masef made promises, they were binding. He'd learned that the hard way.

He had his first target picked, a man that had gold glinting on his belt buckle and sword, mounted on horseback. He had the look of someone in charge, a knight or perhaps even a lordling. He had a squire alongside, probably the scion of another house. Varrick might know whom was whom, but Masef never paid too close attention to the intricacies of Vendland's nobility. He knew that they died like other men. And if you put an arrow in a man, he died.

But after the first arrow flew, the war would be truly on.

@Flagg@Naril@R31GN@Gunther@Airbender@POOHEAD189@NickTrano@Noxious

Blood Debt (Medieval/Fantasy, Rangers)

Incoming post. Hopefully, I'll be up early and can write it then.

Blood Debt (Medieval/Fantasy, Rangers)

Waiting for a modification to one post and a little bit of feedback, but then we're going to transition to figuring out how to get Brand's body back. That will basically be a raid in order to get Flagg started on his end of the plot, I don't want to keep him on ice too long. At that point, they can do an interaction peace where they bury Brand properly.

That said, I'll transition the scene this evening.

@R31GN@Naril@Gunther@AirBender@HeySeuss@NickTrano@Flagg@Noxious

Staring Back With Chrome Eyes [Vanq x HeySeuss]

Alexei nodded, "If a younger Eternal, there may well be surveillance. Which organizations do you know of that are strong on technology? A sophisticated cyberwarfare attack hit the local computers, or at least I surmise because," and this was the galling part, "There was a flurry of activity that drew the local police, who were the thralls, away from the Eternal they targeted. They only mopped up the thralls after the killing, and lured them to an abandoned warehouse to do it. Also, the young mortal's body was not among the others. Why spare Mullen's prey?"

He ran over the facts in his head before nodding to the other two, "You are both right and I think we should test their surveillance. Let's create a few bodies, Mullen's favorite type, drained of all blood and put stories out only on the blogs. We can do it in Chicago, and then plant stories in the tabloid media. We should take care to make it only look like one of us, but be deliberate in creating thralls that we can throw away. Careless ones that will be observed grabbing people. We must be careful ourselves, because whomever these hunters are, they killed three at a time. That's never been done before."

Of course, the Eternal could turn a blind eye to one, two or even three of their kind being removed from the equation, but it went against their pride and their self-perception as apex predators to let anything hunt them like that. This blood demanded more blood.

"We will also have to match their numbers. You and I, Paul, need to create progeny. Perhaps we can make them from relatives of those slain thralls in Dukewater..."

@Vanq