Letter Bee

Innocence Lost: Space Western Science Fantasy (Temporarily Open Again!)

@ihinka, I like it.

Innocence Lost: Space Western Science Fantasy (Temporarily Open Again!)

@ihinka, Yes; custom races are seen as a good thing here.

@Stern Algorithm, Kaisoken have unique stats; Eight Spells (which can be exchanged for some Ex. Skills), but because they are floating crystals, are locked out of most physical Ex. Skills, such as Exceptional Acrobatics or Swordsmanship. They can, however, have Exceptional Endurance for free because, well, they're Crystals.

And Robots/AI are encouraged.

Innocence Lost: Space Western Science Fantasy (Temporarily Open Again!)

Hi was just wondering if I could make a character that is of possibly orcish appearance but with cybernetics

@OrkytheOrc

Sure, he could be an Alien; Custom races are allowed.

Innocence Lost: Space Western Science Fantasy (Temporarily Open Again!)

@ihinka@Starlance@Gentlemanvaultboy@RoccanIronclad@Helios J Mears@Exit:

Here is the OOC!

Innocence Lost: Space Western Science Fantasy (Temporarily Open Again!)

Name: John Green

Age: 18

Physical Description:


Important items:

Kalis Sword - A blade forged of super-alloys and honed to a monomolecular edge, John carries this blade as a reminder of his ordeal in the Ascendancy, and his determination to prevent the same thing from happening to other people.

Coilgun Pistol - A pistol that uses electromagnetic technology to launch metal bullets at a fraction of the speed of light.

Ballistics Vest - An undershirt of soft but tough materials surrounding a core of armored dura-ceramic plates that can withstand a few pistol shots.

Galactic Credits - A few thousand credits in digital form given by the former Rau've warden.

Omni-Tool - Miniature Computer that allows for communication, calculation, augmented reality navigation and small-scale hacking.

Condensed Mana Ampoules - Six very small sealed bottles that contain a silvery-white glowing substance created by John using the Distillation of Liquid Light spell (see below). These are hidden in the pockets of John's outer vest (see Physical Description).

Short Bio: John Green was born to a middle-class family, with a high level of physical and mental intelligence. Excelling at school, it was anticipated he would end up with a University scholarship by the time he reached eleven. Then, the Ascendancy, after ramping up years of Anti-Alien rhetoric, used a series of border incidents with the Rau've and Kaisoken to launch a war of conquest against them, a war that John avidly followed from the news. Every victory - and there were plenty of early victories - excited him, as well as developments in military hardware. The only downside was that he would have to wait a few more years to study at the University of Alpha Centauri. Or at least, that's what he thought.

One day, while travelling to an amusement park, John vanished, being snatched away by unknown abductors. Whisked away to an Ascendancy Black Site, John, then thirteen, was forced to give up what possessions and mementos of his former life were on his person, before being experimented on. His blood was infused with Kaisoken dust, while all sorts of intrusive tests and examinations conducted on him; this was before he was thrown into 'special forces training'. There, his illusions of the Ascendancy's benevolence now shattered, John was taught how to fight and use weapons, as well as survive harsh environments. And above all, he learned how to tap into the 'Magic' he now had to hurt and endure hurt.

When the time came for him to be thrown into the fighting, Green (for that was his callsign then) was thrown into another level of hell, where he had to kill or be killed. And so he had to kill, and get good at it as fast as possible. So life, for him, became a blur of combat actions, depression, occassional friendships, and losses. Then came the Battle of Proxima, where the Ascendancy of Man, reeling from recent defeats, made a final stand. Green was deployed on a boarding action against the enemy flagship, where after inflicting losses against the enemy, he was captured by overwhelming Rau've forces, who injected him with a tranquilizer that cannot be nullified even by Change magic.

When he woke up, he was in a prison camp, with a collar of plant matter and crystal around his neck that prevented him from using spells. The walls were padded, he had no armor or weapons, and no convinient air vents. It was clear; he was a captive. And so he did the only thing he could; cry. Everything was lost; innocence, family, and possibly friends and life. And so he glumly waited for his punishment; it didn't come.

His jailors came to him, gradually allowing him freedom of the prison camp, books to read, puzzles to play with, and the opportunity to talk with his fellow prisoners. And for a time, he was happy. But a question sat at the back of his mind: Why would his own country, his own species, do such things to him? How could they?

And so, when the Rau've made the offer of a new home, John politely rejected it. While his teammates wanted revenge, he wanted closure; he wanted to confront the source of his torments because that was the only way he can be free from it. And that argument was accepted; he and those with him would be allowed to go as they will...

Spell List:

Supernal Vision (High) - The Mage can see all Magic, identify what School it is, and the strength of the spell.

Distillation of Liquid Light (High) - With a thought and gesture, the caster convert Mana, his' or others, into a silvery-white substance that can be used later on to refill one's magical energy, fuel magitech, or turned into tough foam to incapacitate enemies with Alteration of Liquid Light (see below). But its most horrifying use is its ignition into an explosive incendary with the Ignition of Liquid Light spell (see below).

Edit: The fluid is also edible, and gives extra magical energy to the person who ingests it.

Alteration of Liquid Light - By converting and condensing Mana, the Mage can cast globs or tendrils of mystic foam that can be used to handle objects, shield against bullets or blades (within reason), or just incapacitate enemies. At any time, the Ingition of Liquid Light spell (see below) can be used on this sticky foam for devestating consequences.

Ignition of Liquid Light (High) - With a thought, the Mage can ignite a deposit of liquid light, causing it to give off flames that burn for a short period of time (one second), but inflict damage that can't be healed by magic. These flames exist even in space, where there is no oxygen to sustain a normal fire.

Extinguishment of Liquid Light (High) - The opposite of Ingition, this spell can allow the caster to dispel High Magic; his/her own and others', and turn off the flames he/she or others set off using High Magic's power.

Transcendent Transformation (High) - The caster transforms themselves into Liquid Light, with all that entails. They can shift into solid or semi-solid form, revert to full liquid, and light themselves on fire to deal increased damage on contact with enemy targets. And of course, extinguish themselves or others who have used Transcendent Transformation to set themselves on fire (They can also force someone in Transcendent Transformation to revert; who wins in such a confrontation depends on coin-flipping). This has one obvious drawback; if you burn through all of your magical energy, you die, plain and simple.

Exceptional Skill List:

None.

Innocence Lost: Space Western Science Fantasy (Temporarily Open Again!)

Name: Natasha Zhang

Age: 34, but looks 25

Physical Description:


Important items:

Vacuum Suit - A spacesuit that allows her to survive in space for prolonged periods of time, and which acts as body armor in a pinch.

Monomolecular Longsword - A blade sharpened to a molecule-thin edge and can chop through most materials; contained in a special sheath that can withstand said molecule-edge.

Coilgun Pistols - Two Coilgun Pistols.

Omni-Tool - Miniature Computer that allows for communication, calculation, augmented reality navigation and small-scale hacking.

Galactic Credits - 100,000 Galactic Credits in both digital and material form.

Short Bio: Natasha Zhang was born in the frontier world of Qingdao, on the edge of Ascendancy space. Qingdao was a rustic world, mostly dedicated to farming, mining, and providing raw materials to the Ascendancy Core Worlds, who provided protection in the form of naval forces. As is usually the case in these kinds of stories, Natasha soon grew tired of the podunk homeworld she was stuck in and dreamt of greater things, to be a captain of one of the starships she saw on the HyperNet. And so, once she grew old enough, she went off to join the nearest Recruitment Office to join the Ascendancy forces in their escalating hostilities against other species.

Starting as a midshipman abroad a Corvette, Natasha soon encountered the glass ceiling that prevented those from the frontier colonies from ascending to high rank in the Ascendancy Fleet, as well as the favoritism shown to those from the Core. Nevertheless, out of stubbornness, she ignored it, and even hoped for a war against the Rau've in order to in order to give her opportunities to prove herself. Piloting a starship was her dream, and she wasn't going to let go of that just because of some opposition. And so she waited for war, and when it came, the rapid series of battles against the Rau've and Kaisoken gave her multiple avenues for promotion.

Finding herself in command of the Corvette she served in, then a Frigate and a Cruiser, Natasha's rise then stopped due to the Battle of Proxima, where she lost several of her crew to a Rau've broadside when the Grand Admiral in charge of the Ascendancy Fleet used her ship and several others held by 'frontier-born' officers as bait to draw a Coalition squadron into a space minefield. This drew her ire, especially as in the aftermath of the battle, she and the other 'frontier-born' were blamed for the battle's loss and dishonorably discharged. Shocked by such ingratitude, Natasha went back to her homeworld for a while to take up farming but grew bored again.

Which is why the secret message from Moonstrike, sent through the dark web, was music to her ears. The resistance group, tired of the Ascendancy's lies, propaganda, and totalitarian tactics were gathering people for a guerrilla campaign against the Ascendancy. And yes, they can provide the ex-captain her own ship: It would merely be a light freighter, but it would be enough for her; at last, she can soar through the stars again.

She remembered smiling as she pondered her vengeance against the Ascendancy; it will come swiftly.

Personality-wise, Natasha is a hard-drinking woman who loves loud music and surprisingly, history (mostly of the military type). She loves tales of old battles but has branched out to hearing about economic and social causes of warfare; she also loves a good tale of poisoning, assassination, and deliberately engineered 'accidents'. She is also a gun and sword enthusiast (unsurprisingly), but ships and navigation are her true love.

Exceptional Skill List:

- Exceptional Navigation x2
- Exceptional Endurance
- Exceptional Diplomacy
- Exceptional Trade
- Exceptional Swordsmanship x2
- Exceptional Gunslinging

Innocence Lost: Science Fantasy with Space Western Elements

@ihinka@Starlance@Gentlemanvaultboy@RoccanIronclad@Helios J Mears@Exit:

OOC is up!

Innocence Lost: Space Western Science Fantasy (Temporarily Open Again!)

Innocence Lost: An RP of Child Soldiers and Science Fantasy

Official Discord Server

I. Intro

Intro

We were just children, albeit ones of exceptional mind and body. Then the Ascendancy of Man took us from our families, our friends, and our homes; they said we were needed to fight the 'Alien Menace' that was threatening our civilization. In the name of 'survival', they changed us, pumping our bodies full of impossible substances that defied the laws of reality. It was a miracle we all lived to see the horrors of war, they said, but was it really?

After being altered and trained, we were thrown into the meatgrinder that the war against the other species of the sector had become. With new powers given to us by the impossible compounds that were flowing through our veins, our battalions slew huge numbers of the enemy. But it wasn't enough; in the Battle of Proxima, the Ascendancy's fleets and armies finally fell to a sustained assault by the Aliens, and we, the supernatural child soldiers that had wreaked such havoc against the foe, were captured and taken to a prison camp in one of the enemy's holdings.

Despair overtook us as we awaited our fate. What abuse was coming? How will we be treated by those whom we had slaughtered in droves? But when our enemies, the Aliens known as the Rau've, showed pity on us instead, we wept in joy. They saw that we were just kids, and gave us mercy.

We were offered new homes, new families among the Aliens, and most of us accepted. But I didn't, same for a handful of others. I thanked our former captors - former, for the war had ended with a peace treaty - but I told them that I and the others with me wanted revenge on the regime that had betrayed us, used us, and were crueler than the enemy they fought. They sighed, and gave us coordinates to the Galactic Bazaar, a space station where jobs and ships can be found to start our revenge; they wouldn't help us directly.

And so we, with magic, combat skills, and what few peaceful talents we remembered before we were 'drafted' by the Ascendancy of Man, we went to the space station where almost anything can be bought and sold. But one must be warned; the Ascendancy of Man was also there, and will not tolerate their former tools turning against their 'masters'.

------

I fought in the Ascendancy's Fleet. I believed in their propagandistic drivel. I did work dirty and clean for them, and what did I get? Thrown away without pay, without a pension, just tossed out like last day's trash. And to add insult to injury, they blamed us for their own butts getting kicked on Proxima, said that us frontier-worlders didn't fight hard enough and so they got defeated. Well, I've had enough of them stomping on the little guy, so I joined the dime-a-dozen rebels - I mean, Moonstrike!

My name is Natasha Zhang, and I lead a crew of humans, aliens, and even a robot or two in missions of piracy and smuggling against the Ascendancy. Moonstrike is the rebel network we belong to, and they give us jobs to do to bring down those Ascendancy morons. And this latest mission is the sweetest yet - A bunch of renegade Ascendancy Supersoldiers are coming to the Galactic Bazaar to rendezvous with us!

Wait, what are these children doing walking about on the hangar bay? What, they have special powers normally seen only in those Crystal Aliens? Oh, no, those are the Supersoldiers Moonstrike One mentioned, aren't they?!

God Almighty, why am I stuck in a babysitting job?

------

Basically, this is an RP set in a Science Fantasy world with both lasers and (limited to some people) Magic. You have two options of player character:

- Child soldiers that had been taken from their homes and used by the Ascendancy of Man in their war against Aliens, were spared by said Aliens when they lost, and are now looking for revenge against their former abusers. You also have Magic. (3 permitted besides an NPC)

- Natasha Zhang's Crew, a motley crew of humans, aliens, and robots who fight as privateers for Moonstrike, a resistance group opposing the Ascendancy of Man. You don't have Magic (unless you have a crew member of the Kaisoken species) but have more skills, experience, and technology. (4 permitted besides an NPC).

II. Alien Species

Alien Species

The Rau've - The prime leaders of the Coalition against Humanity, the Rau've are a race of plant people who are able to nourish themselves through photosynthesis, enabling them to mostly sidestep the agricultural stage of development. Highly philosophical and compassionate, the Rau've can still be savage in war, as their organic warships and crystal-based energy cannons show. But they were deeply horrified at their enemy's use of children in battle, and were the prime advocates of letting the child soldiers go unpunished after the peace treaty was signed.

The Kaisoken: A race of sentient crystal-like minerals bound by quantum pathways and transcendant intelligence. Floating gently, the Kaisoken communicate through impulses translated into audible speech, and are proficient in the control of magic, though they are limited in a straight fight. They were traditionallly enemies with the Rau've, who had used their nonsapient crystal 'cousins' in their tech, but allied with them against the Ascendancy of Man, who had used ground Kaisoken dust in the experiments that eventually led to their child soldier program. Because of this, they broke off relations with the Rau've after the war for letting the child soldiers get off 'freely'.

The Gill: Combining reptilian and amphibian features, the Gill are evolved to live primarily in water, with long, slender limbs for powerful strikes ending in webbed hands. Hardy against poisons and extreme terrain, on account of the noxious swamps on their homeworld, they have moved to colonize other oceanic places, and are proficient skirmishers. Like Humans, they need Kaisoken dust infused into their bodies to use Magic.

The Korta: Diminuitive beings resembling pachyderms, the Korta are highly intelligent and analytical, mostly serving as engineers and bureaucrats. Computer systems, locks, and riddles tend to fall quickly before them. They also need Kaisoken dust mixed into their bloodstream to use Magic.

The Tayanen: Clusters of sentient amorphous material locked into massively armored shells, the Tayanen deliver heavy firepower with high resistance to shock, heat, or trauma, having little vulnerable area. Nevertheless, they are slow to react, though their decision making ability when in a group can be very fast. Cannot use Magic at all unless grafted with a willing Kaisoken 'host' through an unknown process.

Noxaara; Custom Species contributed by Player

Species Application

Name: Noxaara

Status to Humans: (Familiar, on good terms)

Life expectancy: Human-like

Genders: The Noxaara had genders prior to the merger with the SEEM. Now they are genderless. /I could go into further detail of their reproduction methods and organs, but it doesn't seem pertinent to the RP /

Full Description: The Noxaara were originally a biological race before the discovery of the SEEM. Their pre-symbiont appearance is almost lost to history. The SEEM replaced or rather grew over the Noxaara's skin a durable synthetic polymer alloy that covers all the major muscle groups in shell-like segments that appear leathery in texture. All the major joints lack the same harder shell-like cover and appear soft and more vulnerable. The head is completely encased in the harder alloy providing the host with a rebreather system adapted to suit the Noxaara needs; as well as optic filters that adapt to the ambient light. The Noxaara can modify to some extent their appearance. But those modifications are for purely aesthetic purposes. They can add different texture to their shell covering, patterns and the like. They cannot fashion blades out of it or anything major like that. Their polymer alloy covering is quite durable and harder to the touch than human skin. It is more resilient to slashing weapons. It will get cut, but will not immediately 'bleed', and it will regenerate at a faster pace than human dermis. It is just as vulnerable to piercing weapons however.

Appearance visual aid/primary concept/inspiration

Type of society: The Noxaara were a race of avid explorers, scientists and researchers. The majority of their society was built on exploration and discovery. However in a sometimes hostile universe they soon realized that protection was needed for their explorers to be able to keep on with their tasks. Their society evolved over time to be comprised of two major paths – Explorers and Protectors. The Explorers would include all and any sort of scientists and persons interested in the discovery of whatever one could imagine. While the Protectors would develop in such a way as to facilitate the Explorers’ work. Everyone was free to decide on a path, whether it be Explorer or Protector. Some would devote themselves completely to one of the two, while others would try to incorporate both paths within their lives. Vocational classes became a staple in the education system of the Noxaara, underlining the pros and cons of all three choices for the youngins. This way a balance of Explorers and Protectors could be achieved.

As a space fairing species the Noxaara are avid space explorers and colonizers. They would seek to study all and any space phenomena, to colonize different planets devoid of indigenous life, to test the limits of their space ship drives.
The Noxaara Explorers tend to be more exuberant in their enthusiasm. Though by no means reckless they do tend to take greater risks with their own security if it would lead to a glorious discovery. Protectors tend to be more prudent, more calculating in terms of risk management. And those Noxaara who chose the middle path tend to incorporate both characteristics to different degrees depending on the individual’s personality.

Other than that, the Noxaara are no more different than humans. They form family units, bare children, raise them, grow old and die. They even held similar prejudice to humans in terms of heteronormative family units and such. But all that changed after they encountered the SEEM.

The SEEM - synthetic environmental enhancement microbe, was a remnant piece of tech of an unknown ancient alien race the Noxaara discovered on a planet marked for colonization. Once they realized what the core program of the synthetic microbe was /to modify the host body in such a way that it would be more resilient in environments which would normally be hazardous/, the Noxaara decided it would be the perfect complimenting agent to their race’s explorer spirit. It took them decades of study, experiments and modifications until the microbe could be safely introduced within the noxaara system where it would begin to colonize and as per its design enter into symbiotic relationship with the host body.

The only flaw of the microbe was that the effects of the symbiosis and the modifications to the host body would be permanent. The Noxaara scientists weren’t able to correct it and theorized it was why the microbe was ultimately abandoned by its creators.
When the breakthrough was announced a sort of referendum was held across the population since the change would be permanent for the Noxaara people. The results were largely unanimous. The Noxaara would begin a step by step introduction of the SEEM within the population.

Several generations later the changeover of the Noxaara from biological organisms to biomechanoid symbionts was complete.

Technological advancement: (Tier 2)

Miscellaneous: They do not need biohazard suits for short term exposure to low to mid-level hazardous environments. Anything pushing the limits of that could lead to health issues depending on the length of exposure.

Ishakti - Custom Species contributed by player

Name: Ishakti

Status to Humans: Neutral

Lifetime Expectancy: Alive (having living body parts), 150-200. Dead (no living parts), 600.

Genders: The Ishakti are genderless, and can reproduce asexually.

Description/History: The Ishakti are a hybrid of organic and synthetic parts, that which of is gruesome. A sister species by the name of Ivruti, which are now extinct, lived side by side with the Ishakti, developing technologies and sciences together. Unfortunately for the Ishakti at that time, relations would begin to boil, as the Ishakti first discovered ancient alien technology on their moon. The discovery which was kept hush by the Ishakti angered their sister species and they demanded to know what they had found, which they were not told. This sparked one of the first movements of the Ivruti against them, they moved into their territory, which the Ishakti were not expecting.

After that initial movement, the Ivruti declared war and attacked the Ishakti, knowing that what they had was important. They did this by draining supplies, and natural resources. That move initiated a skirmishing attack, a stealth team destroying an Ivruti outpost, this retaliation resulted in the war being called the "First In-House Ishakti/Ivruti War." One of the major first operations by the Ivruti was called "Project Lemon", the native language translation has more meaning than the English meaning. The Ivruti surrounded several science facilities, and invaded them, stealing all the lab research and materials. They then found the alien technology, one so advanced that the Ishakti had zero idea how to reverse engineer and use.

The Ishakti responded with "OP Fireweb", which was a release of large mechanical fire spiders into Ivruti territory, burning their buildings and bases, however the Ivruti had already escaped with the information and were beginning to decode it. After months of trading losses and wins, the Ivruti released a new threat, a group of large mechanical beings nicknamed "Photon DWMDs", despite them not using Photon-based weaponry. This threat was immense, and it took the entire might of an Ishakti battlecruiser fleet to take down ONE of these mechanical beings, a true testament to the power of this new thing. They quickly reverse engineered the deceased Photon DWMD, and built better weapons and armor, however it was too late.

The Ivruti unleashed all of their forces, which completely overwhelmed the Ishakti, forcing them to surrender. The Ivruti made the Ishakti slaves, and used them for all sorts of gruesome, horrifying, and immoral experiments plus torture. Eventually they made the Ishakti into slave warriors, augmenting them with that technology, which involved replacing internal organs and pumping them full of nanites/nanobots. All Ishakti were augmented, and their DNA was altered in such a way that their children required augmenting immediately, or risk internal bleeding then death. Unbeknownst to the Ivruti, a group of their super soldier slaves had possessed the ability to use their augments to control their nanobots/nanites directly, allowing them to use surrounding materials to build what they want and alter their appearance. They used this tactic to strike back with force against the Ivruti, barely winning the battle for freedom.

Appearance: Augmented Ishakti can look like a variety of creatures, due to their nanites. Most choose human-like, however others prefer being armored husks, though notably all Ishaktians are stuck with having glowing yellow eyes.

Type of Society: In the past, before the First In-House Ishakti/Ivruti War, the Ishakti were a close knit Monarchy-style civilization, during the war they became True Democratic, and after it they lost all structure, fleeing to space. Ishaktians are now mainly freelancers or just trying to make by, as their home was deemed insufficient to them. Most Ishaktians are up for hire to do almost anything, however ones like Maldrukiz own their own scrapyard.

III. Magic System

Magic

There are six disciplines of Magic:

High - There are many theories that try to explain High Magic. Some say that it is the power of The Divine, it is the power of positive emotions, channeled through the human soul. Nevertheless, High Magic is the power of controlling Magical Energy itself, allowing for the ability to see all Magic, to draw available magical energy from the sky and earth, create constructs of condensed Mana, create and fuel magitech and enchanted items, ward people and places from magic, and finally, the ability to create bolts of silver-white light that cause damage that cannot be healed by magic to Mages and Magical creatures... But not ordinary targets, whose burns can be healed as normal.

Note: High Magic has been nerfed; the last sentence has been edited so that only other Mages and Magical Creatures, as well as magitech, receive damage that cannot be healed by Magic.

World - World Magic is control over the physical elements of the world. You want to create Fire? World Magic. You want to alter Gravity to make yourself float? World Magic. You want to use lightning to electrocute a person? World Magic. Basically, if it has nothing to do with changing one thing to another, or controlling something that isn't wholly of this earth? World Magic is your key. Basically, Bending from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but without healing or spiritual arts and with control over gravity.

Change - This is the magic that deals with changing one thing to another. This magic can knit wounds and reverse aging, cause trees to grow fists and turn vines into whips. This magic can change one substance to another, turning lead into gold, earth into acid, and fire into water. What it cannot do, however, is affect stuff protected by High magic, or mess with things that are already dead. That belongs to another school, the magic of the Underworld.

Underworld - Death is all around us, and the old laws against disturbing the ghosts who chose not to pass on are gone, cast into the wind. Nevertheless, the souls of the departed have to be treated with respect...but it is not the same for their bodies. Underworld Magic is the magic of Necromancy; it is the magic you wield when you want to raise an army of the dead, to control the shadows of the world, to speak with ghosts, and to strike people dead with one blow (this is a high-level spell). You can even use this to transcend death, allowing you continued existence in this world without need for food, drink, and sleep...

Timespace - The magic of traveling vast distances in a single bound, of teleportation, portals, and scrying. The strongest Magi can even control probability, making a person luckier or unluckier, sometimes to absurd levels. But what it can not do is reverse the past; basically, no time travel. Bullet Time and Time Stop are also possibilities for incredibly strong practitioners but have certain requirements that limit their effectiveness in combat.

Bullet Time and Time Stop Nerfs: Bullet Time can only be activated defensively when confronted by attacks too fast for the mundane body to dodge normally. And by that, it only works when people are shooting bullets at the guy and it can only be used to dodge bullets and other attacks - it cannot be used to attack in turn. This keeps what I want - PCs being able to dodge bullets - without making them overpowered in offense, as well as giving PCs the choice not to shoot bullets in the first place.

As for Time Stop, not only can the 'time bubble' be cut apart by Ex. Swordsmanship, but it doesn't work on sapient beings; it can still be used to stop bullets, explosions, crashing trains, rampaging animals, and lightning strikes, but not melee strikes from sapient beings - neither the user or his opponents can use ranged attacks in a Time Stop. The in-universe reason for this is that having a Soul protects you from unauthorized changes to the timeline, and yes, AI have souls here as well.

Mind Magic - This magic deals with controlling minds and altering emotions of both humans and animals, as well as creating illusions, mental compulsions, and even erasing or editing memories. A very powerful magical discipline, but a strong willpower can break its effects...

Basically, each PC is supposed to mix and match effects from multiple sources of magic, although specialization is a thing.

Counterspell/Dispel Magic rules.

Countering and Dispelling Magic

Making Anti-Magic spells is a bit complicated, but basically, you first need three High Magic spells, including the Anti-Magic rote, and one spell of the School you want to dispel. For example, if you want to dispel Underworld Magic, you need three High Magic spells and one Underworld Magic spell. As you have six starting spells available, you can theoretically be able to counter or Dispel three schools maximum. You can only counter or dispel High Magic if all six of your starting spells are of that school.

Enchantment Rules

Enchantment Rules

Enchantment requires High Magic and a spell that you or another party member knows, along with an item to be enhcanted. Note however that the weaker and less durable the material is, the magic you can put into it is more limited; for example, oak can be enchanted to emit laser beams, birch cannot. This is the same for metals, and the strongest of spells can only be enchanted into 'Perfected Electrum (more below)'.

Perfected Electrum

Perfected Electrum

Electrum is a mix of Gold and Silver that occurs naturally, but can be made by artificial means. This material, if treated by High and Change Magic by four different Magi (see 'Group Spells' below) can be 'perfected', aka transformed into a metal as hard as diamond yet not as brittle, and whose lightness is that of cloth. But the most valuable property of Perfected Electrum is that it can contain very, very strong spells, except for Resurrection (see below under 'Group Spells'). The Ascendancy of Man has a monopoly of Perfected Electrum; not that it helped them win the war.

Group Spells

Group Spells

Basically, multiple spell-casters with different Schools can do things that would strain a single Mage. This also helps in compensating for single Magi's weaknesses in specialization.

Example Spell:

Resurrection (High, Change, Underworld + materials for a new body) - Three Magi, or alternatively, a single Magi who has six High, Change, and Underworld spells each, can bring back a dead person. High Magic is used to supply magical energy for the permanent return of the Soul (said soul must always be willing), Change is used to turn inorganic material into organic matter, and Underworld is used to tug back the Soul from wherever it's been. Resurrection cannot be Enchanted into Items.

Note: Other ways of tapping into one's Magic besides the above Magic System are possible, but the Child Soldiers would use said system at first before developing in other directions.

IV. Non-Magical Options

Exceptional Skills

All PCs have access to 'Exceptional Skills', which are basically a mundane talent that can be boosted to extraordinary and unnatural levels. All Exceptional Skills can resist the magical equivalent, or even counter them; for example, Exceptional Swordsmanship allows you to cut through magical barriers or attacks, while Exceptional Medicine can cure wounds caused by High Magic and normally unhealable by any spell, provided one has the right materials.

Exceptional Skills can be anything you want, as long as 1.) it does not have an obviously magical effect, 2.) It is an enhanced version of something a normal being can already do, just boosted to implausible levels, and 3.) You can justify it with cybernetics, biotech, or even drugs. Stuff like Power Armor also works as long as it's treated as an essential possession of the character. Same for Alien/Robot biological traits.

This is an incomplete list of examples:

- Exceptional Swordsmanship
- Exceptional Archery
- Exceptional Unarmed
- Exceptional Endurance (can resist even magic)
- Exceptional Bureaucracy
- Exceptional Trading
- Exceptional Diplomacy (stuff done with this can resist the effects of Mind magic, even if the target is weak-willed)
- Exceptional Medicine

Exceptional Skills can also be stacked, aka doubled or even tripled in power. For example, you can use up three spell slots to gain Exceptional Swordsmanship x3, which allows you to cut through a two-story building made up of granite, and tear apart a Time Stop with a slash. More on stacking in the Rules section.

Note that Exceptional Skills are intended to be specialized, but at the same time, lack the versatility of Magic. And yes, Child Soldiers can have both Exceptional Skills and Magic, but they have to replace one Spell from their spell list with one level of Exceptional Skill.

Natasha Zhang's crew automatically has 8 Exceptional Skills, except for a Kaisoken member if there is one.

Technology

Tech Level is...variable, thanks to the effects of widespread upheaval. Automation is common in the more civilized portions of the Sector, as well as lasers, railguns, EMP emitters, and plasma throwers. The main method of FTL is the use of a 'wormhole system' that links most planets, but Kaisoken, Rau've, and Ascendancy of Man use Spacewarpers, spaceships that either use Magic (Kaisoken and Rau've) or Super-tech (Ascendancy) that can turn a hundred light years' worth of distance to one day's trip.

Cybernetics exist, but are taboo in the inner levels of the Ascendancy of Man, where biotechnology is preferred as 'it does not mar the pure human form'. Cybernetics can be used to justify possession of an Exceptional Skill, same for Drugs, Powered Armor, and other pieces of technology.

V. Rules

Rules

1.) No Godmoding or Powergaming, aka no controlling other players' actions, no defeating your enemy in one shot, and no shrugging of all hits without a magical shield.
2.) Any consenting relationship between people of the same age group is allowed, whether it's Homosexual or Heterosexual. If you cannot stand such things, don't post here in the first place.
3.) Be polite to others.
4.) Please notify me if you will be gone for more than a week, I myself will let you guys know if I will be gone for that same amount of time.
5.) It's a fantasy world; you can learn Magic - two new spells of any School per Story Arc, more if you find a willing mentor (another PC, another Magic-user, a Kaisoken who doesn't hate your guts) and time. New Exceptional Skills, on the other hand, are easier to stack, harder to learn - You can double the power of two Exceptional Skills every first arc, and select a new exceptional skill every second arc. The story for this RP will have Eight Arcs, so you get to stack two skills on the first, add one skill on the second, stack again on the third, and so on.
6.) New Rule: GM Updates are weekly - if you don't respond to two updates in a row, and you don't give a good reason, you are regarded as dropped.
7.) New Rule: The GM reserves the right to control inactive PCs as NPCs in order to keep the plot moving.

VI. Miscellaneous Lore and Worldbuilding

Minor Races

The Quo'arta: Taking evolutionary ques from bats and primates, the Quo'arta were lauded by the Coalition for their effort as both scouts and field medics during the war. The species as a whole are better known for their advances in medicine and their dedication to working with nature, rather than subjugating it, and have thus become close allies of the Rau'va. Post-Ascendency War has seen a great increase in Quo'arta standing in the galactic scene, their voices beginning to be heard and respected among the big players in the galaxy.

The Tork: As wise as they are unpleasant to look at, the Tork are an enigmatic race of gurus and philosophers almost wholly dedicated to their pondering. Usually found somewhere out of the way the Tork sit in deep torpor, seemingly dead in their stillness, for years with the only proof of their life being small twitches or deep, minutes long breaths. However, do not mistake them for defenseless hermits for they are among the most powerful natural mages in the known galaxy with a noted adeptness for World Magic. The eldest of their kind can flatten mountains with but a thought or unmake a being with but a scornful glare.

The Battle of Proxima (Also in the Char Section

The Battle of Proxima Centauri

The Rau've/Kaisoken Alliance were lured to the Proxima System, only 4 light-years from Earth itself, and the Ascendancy immediately redeployed much of its remaining forces to crush the Nonhuman coalition once and for all. Their plan was to use the smaller ships of the Ascendancy (Cruisers and Frigates) to lure the Alliance as close to Proxima's Sun as possible. The Sun would then cut off the Alliance line of retreat as the Dreadnoughts hammer them with walls of fire; the Carriers would remain in reserve.

It was a viable strategy; not inherently stupid, but the Kaisoken contingents of the combined fleet caught on to it and sent their ships to envelop the Ascendancy's flotilla from above and below, snapping like a ferocious raptor's jaws. The Carriers under Kherol were unable to do anything (or unwilling, as Kherol saw the strategy as stupid and wanted to save as much of the Ascendancy Fleet as he could from said stupidity) as the Dreadnought Fleet of the Ascendancy was well-nigh destroyed.

Nevertheless, although Kherol's non-interference was controversial, none can dispute that it was the survival of the Ascendancy's Carriers that prevented the Rau've and Kaisoken from vassalizing or annexing the Ascendancy outright, and even allowed the Humans to retain most of their territory, albeit under heavy requirements for war reparations. And it was after the Ascendancy's defeat that Emmanuel Thoreau began to build and focus more on Carriers and Carrier-based space doctrine; the days of the Dreadnought were over.

The Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet

The first two centuries of the Ascendancy of Man were of construction, colonization, and exploration, as the 'Spacewarpers' of the Human Fleet opened up new horizons. Over time, autonomous trading companies grew in the fringes of Human Space, pushing the frontiers of expansion. But when the Rau've and Kaisoken were finally discovered, along with their equivalent or greater power to the Ascendancy, the first President-for-Life, Corrin Herbert, began to move towards centralization, nationalizing several trading companies and forcing those left to consolidate underneath Henry Windsor, one of the leading explorers and merchants of the fringe worlds.

Together, these trading companies formed a formidable fleet, well-armed against Space Pirates (mostly Aliens and renegade Humans) and enough to endanger the Ascendancy itself if it came to war. And so Corrin Herbert was forced to make concessions: The Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet will be allowed to continue its operations, provided that it provide a large payment to the Ascendancy of Man and logistical support to its future wars. This was resented by Corrin's two successors, Elijah and Emmanuel Thoreau, but neither of them made any move to withdraw said concessions, being enmeshed with their own plans.

Even the coming of the Rau've/Kaisoken War did not endanger the Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet, as the latter paid a large payment to the Ascendancy in order to avoid giving logistical support. This was a good thing, as the Windsors had already decided that the future lay in economic cooperation with Aliens (albeit with Humans on top) instead of making war with them. So they stood by, consolidating their power on the Southern Fringe of Human Space, well away from the Kaisoken and Rau've territory. And the war ended with the Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet more powerful than ever, with only the Ascendancy's Carrier Fleet able to contest them.

Now, the Windsors cannot avoid a collision with the upper levels of the Ascendancy; money can no longer overcome the fear that the Trading Fleet, made up of Xenophiles and immensely rich and powerful, would conduct a coup. And the Windsors knew it, so they decided to conduct a coup for real, contacting disaffected elements among the fringe worlds and other dissidents only to find they had already been contacted by a new organization, Moonstrike, an organization that seemed to have access to Ascendancy tech and military hardware. And so all activity from them stopped. Was it jealousy, or were they biding their time for something else?

VII. Character Sheet Skeleton

Character Sheet Skeleton, Child Soldier

[b]Name:[/b] What’s your characters name?
[b]Age:[/b] How old is your character?
[b]Physical Description:[/b] What does your character look like?
Place any photo’s here.
[b]Important items:[/b] What possessions are important to your character?
[b]Short Bio:[/b] Tell us your character's story up to this point.
[b]Spell List:[/b] 6 Spells overall.
[B]Exceptional Skill List:[/b] Replace any number of your 6 Spells with an Exceptional Skill

Character Sheet Skeleton, Natasha's Crew

[b]Name:[/b] What’s your characters name?
[b]Age:[/b] How old is your character?
[b]Physical Description:[/b] What does your character look like?
Place any photo’s here.
[b]Important items:[/b] What possessions are important to your character? Possessions can also be used to justify Exceptional Skills.
[b]Short Bio:[/b] Tell us your character's story up to this point.
[B]Exceptional Skill List:[/b] 8 Skills.

Character Sheet Skeleton, Kaisoken Member of Natahsa's Crew

[b]Name:[/b] What’s your characters name?
[b]Age:[/b] How old is your character?
[b]Physical Description:[/b] What does your character look like?
Place any photo’s here.
[b]Important items:[/b] What possessions are important to your character? Possessions can also be used to justify Exceptional Skills.
[b]Short Bio:[/b] Tell us your character's story up to this point.
[B]Special Spell/Ex. Skill List:[/b] Unique Rules are that you get 8 Spells which can be exchanged for [i]some[/i] Ex. Skills, but you are locked out of anything that requires arms and legs, such as Exceptional Swordsmanship or Exceptional Running. You also can't use guns unless you move them with telekinesis.

Exceptional Endurance (Is free at Character Creation)

Innocence Lost: Science Fantasy with Space Western Elements

Hello!

@Starlance

Hi!

Letter Bee's Character Sheets

Name: Natasha Zhang

Age: 34, but looks 25

Physical Description:


Important items:

Vacuum Suit - A spacesuit that allows her to survive in space for prolonged periods of time, and which acts as body armor in a pinch.
Monomolecular Longsword - A blade sharpened to a molecule-thin edge and can chop through most materials; contained in a special sheath that can withstand said molecule-edge.
Coilgun Pistols - Two Coilgun Pistols.
Omni-Tool - Miniature Computer that allows for communication, calculation, augmented reality navigation and small-scale hacking.

Short Bio: Natasha Zhang was born in the frontier world of Qingdao, on the edge of Ascendancy space. Qingdao was a rustic world, mostly dedicated to farming, mining, and providing raw materials to the Ascendancy Core Worlds, who provided protection in the form of naval forces. As is usually the case in these kinds of stories, Natasha soon grew tired of the podunk homeworld she was stuck in and dreamt of greater things, to be a captain of one of the starships she saw on the HyperNet. And so, once she grew old enough, she went off to join to the nearest Recruitment Office to join the Ascendancy forces in their escalating hostilities against other species.

Starting as a midshipman abroad a Corvette, Natasha soon encountered the glass ceiling that prevented those from the frontier colonies from ascending to high rank in the Ascendancy Fleet, as well as the favoritism shown to those from the Core. Nevertheless, out of stubborness, she ignored it, and even hoped for a war against the Rau've in order to in order to give her opportunities to prove herself. Piloting a starship was her dream, and she wasn't going to let go of that just because of some opposition. And so she waited for war, and when it came, the rapid series of battles against the Rau've and Kaisoken gave her multiple avenues for promotion.

Finding herself in command of the Corvette she served in, then a Frigate and a Crusier, Natasha's rise then stopped due to the Battle of Proxima, where she lost several of her crew to a Rau've boardside when the Grand Admiral in charge of the Ascendancy Fleet used her ship and several others held by 'frontier-born' officers as bait to draw a Coalition squadron into a space minefield. This drew her ire, especially as in the aftermath of the battle, she and the other 'frontier-born' were blamed for the battle's loss and dishonorably discharged. Shocked by such ingratitude, Natasha went back to her homeworld for a while to take up farming, but grew bored again.

Which is why the secret message from Moonstrike, sent through the dark web, was music to her ears. The resistance group, tired of the Ascendancy's lies, propaganda, and totalitarian tactics, were gathering people for a guerilla campaign against the Ascendancy. And yes, they can provide her her own ship; it would merely be a light friegther, but it would be enough for her; at last, she can soar through the stars again.

She rememered smiling as she pondered her vengance against the Ascendancy; it will come swiftly.

Exceptional Skill List:

- Exceptional Navigation x2
- Exceptional Endurance
- Exceptional Diplomacy
- Exceptional Trade
- Exceptional Swordsmanship x2
- Exceptional Gunslinging